


Clarity

by maymay74



Category: Twilight Series - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-28
Updated: 2017-12-11
Packaged: 2018-07-18 17:06:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 19
Words: 42,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7323595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maymay74/pseuds/maymay74
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When you're the son of an ex-boyband member, certain benefits come with the title: A privileged upbringing, money, fame... Some are wanted, some cause more trouble, especially when people wants to be with you to become famous by association. What if you find the one person who wants you for being you? What if, unknowingly, she has more in common with you that you know about?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

Twenty years ago...

"Welcome back to 'Good night with Summer Lowell', we have here with us tonight a star whose light had shone for us since he was a teenager. You may remember him because he was the lead voice of the beloved group 'Dazzle proximity'. Please welcome... Carlisle Cullen!" The blond presenter turned to her right, where a very handsome thirty-something man was sitting and waving to the audience who was clapping and catcalling enthusiastically.

"Hello, hellooo!" Carlisle screamed and the audience went crazy, probably because the majority of them were fans of DP since their teen years and one had to admit Carlisle still had that touch.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Miss Summer Lowell, who was known by her incisive questions and her underhanded ways to get the truth out of her guests, led the interview to where she believed was the juicy dirt on Carlisle Cullen.

"So Carlisle, a little birdie told me you were considering retirement." The buxom blonde host asked. You could see in her eyes she had something else under her sleeve. Well, maybe under the tiny strap of her dress.

"Yes. This will be my last appearance in public." Carlisle said with a wistful smile. The audience screamed their disapproval.

"Aww." Was Summer's reaction. She gave the audience a sympathetic smile first, but then her face turned blank. "So it may have something to do with the fact that your act alone isn't quite as successful as 'Dazzle proximity' was, right?" She gave now a smug look to the audience.

Carlisle was well adapted to such displays, she wasn't the first ruthless interviewer who was looking for the dirt on the group. "Well, it doesn't feel the same to be alone on stage. I tried to get the legacy of DP alive, but life gets in the way. As you know I'm gonna become a father this summer." The audience screamed in joy. "I can't put my whole attention and devotion to my career when I got someone else to think about." Now Carlisle was the one with the smug smile and the audience loved it.

"And what about Miss Elizabeth Masen, are we going to hear wedding bells soon?"

The crowd was wild with catcalls and whistles. Elizabeth Masen was one of the few top models who were still ruling the catwalk in their thirties.

"Oh, you know I can't tell you that! She will have my hide if I share our plans. Everybody knows better than to make the future mother of your child angry. It never turns out right."

The crowd roared with laughter.

"But you're going to sing us the last song, right?"

"Of course," Carlisle said, standing up and taking the microphone someone dropped behind him. "So, this was our most loved song. We really pour our hearts whenever we sang it. So for you girls... Clarity!"  
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________--

Hi!

This will be a short story so it won't interfere with my other WIPs and it's the fruit of a dare.

This came to me while I was at a bar with a few friends when a song called 'Claridad' (clarity) came on. It's a cover from the 70s made by the boyband 'Menudo', that you may not know, but it was a huge hit in latin America (they were really big for years). Well, the song has a choreography that everybody still dances (embarrassing, I know). I can tell you there were lots of alcohol involved because my one and only friend from work who knows that I write, dared me to write a story using the song. So, while I didn't think anything about the words, the bar was displaying images of the group in all their 70's spandex glory. So I thought... what if Carlisle was the one in the group? How Edward, his son, would act?

So, most of the story will be told from Edward's POV, but we may have others POV.

Here's the youtube link to the video of the song, in case you have curiosity about the song, the spandex or the choreography:

(/) watch?v=oUn_HaLUYqg


	2. Chapter 1

EPOV

"Come on! It's just a cup of coffee." The blond girl, whose name I just couldn't remember, pouted. Like that would give her points for me. Didn't they know I don't do whining?

"Sorry. Like I told you before, I'm not interested." Yep, like three times. Do they really believe I would suddenly get an interest on them just because my Dad came out of the darkness? The blond girl twisted her mouth and before she said something else I fled.

I turned around and walked fast to where a giggling brunette was hiding behind a column. If only my Dad see the way I treated that girl! It's just that sometimes they don't get that 'no' means 'no'.

"You find this very entertaining, don't you? 'Edward, I have to pee', sure. You are supposed to have my back!"

"Oh please! She's been following you for the past two weeks, I was sure if I didn't give her the chance to ask you... again" Bella rolled her eyes for that last word. She's been right beside me every time blond girl asked me out.

"It's the fourth time!"

"Ok, but if I didn't give her the chance, she probably would corner me in the bathroom again."

This I didn't know. I hated when they blamed Bella for my aloofness. "Did she hurt you?" I tried to get a peek at her in search of bruises, but with Bella's baggy clothes it was futile.

"No, God forbid she breaks her nails. But you know how are the girls of her kind; they stand by my side and start spewing the usual speech. 'A mousy little thing like you can't be with a Cullen', 'You're too frumpy to be in his company'."

"You're not frumpy." No, she really wasn't. Scrumptious, delicious, beautiful; those were better words to describe her.

Bella just lifted her soulful brown eyes and gave me that look that always gave me hope that maybe she shared the same feelings... Sadly, it always lasted a few seconds before she burst out laughing.

"You only said that because you know I can kick your ass."

"You wish... You know, she was in our 'History of math' class a year ago. She never said 'hi' or ' do you have a pen I can borrow?'."

"Her last name is Stanhope, and I only remember it because she was just right before me when the professor called attendance. She wasn't that rude before. Well, I'm late for my class. You're so lucky you got Bertrand for 'Electronics'. Mulholland is kicking my ass. Bye!" And with a kiss on my cheek she left. There were always those little details that gave me hope.

I decided to kill time before my next class by reading at the back of the library, where very wisely, they had a section of cubicles. Nothing says 'I want to study alone' like to encroach yourself inside the cubicle, earphones in place and sight lost on a computer screen. Or so I thought. There was a girl seated to my right, trying to make me notice her. Jesus! It isn't like they were like this before. No. It all started two weeks ago when the 'mall incident' happened.

Let me start from the beginning.

I'm a very private person. I only have two friends: Bella and Jasper; and even one of them sometimes made me wish he was just a mere acquaintance, I think you'll easily find which one. I'm not that closed off but if you met Jasper you'll understand me. Anyway, I wasn't always skittish around people. No. Once upon a time, I was an outgoing toddler who loved to babble to anyone around me. Yeah, difficult to believe if you see me now. Let me start from the beginning and my first 'incident' which brought me to where I am now.

I'm the lucky son of an ex-teen pop star, Carlisle Cullen, and an ex-model turned into an entrepreneur, Elizabeth Masen. I was conceived in a point of both of their lives where they thought they were ready to settle. Soon after I was born, they realized they didn't love each other, but they keep a friendship in order to raise me. Both of my parents love me, no doubt about it, though each one has a way to show it. While Dad retired to raise me, Mom remained in the spotlight but she makes sure to be present in every important event of my life.

In the beginning, we all lived in L.A. Mom's home was in the same neighborhood as Dad's, so she was present most of the time. She deemed me cute enough to take me to shootings and soon enough I was posing for ads and did my first and only acting job: a two minutes scene where one extra was holding me and was about to shoot me when the hero of the film saved my ass. End of the story.

I lived what I considered was 'normal'. By the age of three, I already had set a foot on every continent. The world was my playground, literally. One day, when I was three, Mom took me to Costa Rica for a shooting and when we came back we found paparazzi had corraled us at the airport. One of them started to yell that I was adopted and another yelled that I was the bastard son of an older actor. Ridiculous as I have the same facial structure as my father, just with my mother coloring and height. Alas, someone spilled a rumor while we were away and the paps were crazy to get something out of my mother. One stupid pap pulled my arm, trying to get a better picture of me and all hell broke loose. My mother, who always had a smile for the cameras, went crazy defensive. And believe me, you never want to be on the receiving end of Elizabeth Masen's wrath. She punched the pap while she pushed me to where her assistant was trying to hide me. There were more pushing, pulling and in the end, I fell and broke my arm, an exposed fracture mind you. Mom managed to make the pap going to jail, yep she did it, but it took me two years of therapy to get back to my happy self. Except that now I became afraid of crowds.

That incident brought one of the few fights between my parents, who decided L.A. wasn't the best place to raise me. For Dad, the best place became Port Angeles; a little town lost in Washington. And for Mom... well, she visits frequently though her home is in New York.

My phone rang with Dad's tone, perfect timing as it was getting late for my next class and nosey girl seated next to me was about to break my attention from my laptop.

"Hi, Dad!" I answered and packed my things fast. No way I was giving the girl a chance to try to ask me out.

"Hey, Edward! Are you busy?"

"No, I'm leaving the library and on my way to class."

"Perfect. Do you have plans for the weekend? I really would like you to come home."

Dad made it sound like I never visited, but I was there almost every weekend. I've never been a party boy and I had to admit that I'm a bit lazy, so having dear Tanya, our housekeeper, to wash my clothes and feed my hungry ass was tempting enough to get me back home.

"Don't worry. I'll be there."

"You can bring Bella, you know she's welcomed." Yep. As soon as Dad found she wasn't tempted by his charm, he became fond of her. But that's a story for another time.

"I don't know, she mentioned some plans with her father." The elusive Charles Higginbotham, who was so strict, that even his wife Renee asked me to wait to meet him. That's a story I really like to know by myself, but Bella and Renee were really quiet about him.

"Well, it's just I received a proposal, a business proposal, and I want to hear your opinion."

Great. Another consequence of the mall incident.

"Sure Dad."

"Well, then I'll leave you to your class. Say Bella 'hi' from me."

"I will. See you Dad."

I hung up on time to get inside the classroom. I always choose a place where I can have Bella sitting next to me. She's better taking notes and having her by my side, with a class so boring as this one, keeps me awake. So I put my messenger bag on the seat next to mine.

"Do you know you're not supposed to save seats? It's rude."

Damn! Same nosey girl from the library. Was she in this class? My unobservant ass was always too focused on the class to notice. Thank God Bella arrived and saw this girl. Bella was fast to sit on the opposite side and placed her backpack on the seat next to hers.

"You know, you're right. Excuse me, I have to take my seat." I stood up and skipped to where Bella saved my place. "This is getting tiresome. They're too insistent."

Bella chuckled. "And now you're going to blame your Dad, right?"

"It's his fault. If he didn't had sung..."

Yes, completely his fault. Three weeks ago, we went to the mall to buy a present for Tanya's birthday. We, Dad and me, were clueless as to what to get for her. Bella offered to help so we went our merry way. What we didn't know, was that a radio station was holding a karaoke contest. Throngs of women were in line and sadly, one of them recognized Dad.

Soon we were surrounded and because of the contest, they asked Dad to join them. Let's just say that my picture was on the paper the very next day, claiming I was following my father 's steps. Where do they get their stories? Bella barely made it out of the mess without a scratch. Me? I was groped and pawed. I felt violated. Since then, every girl at college wants to be seen with me. You don't have an idea of how many tweets or Instagram's posts claim that I'm about to get married to some unknown co-ed. It's ridiculous! But just three weeks ago, I was able to get to class without bother. I was this close to finally ask Bella t go out with me. Now? I'm getting the feeling that she wants me to taste the waters, I'm sure she feels there's someone better out there for me. If she only realized that she was perfect for me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!
> 
> Well, I hope you're liking where I'm going with the story. Edward is in college and he's friends with Bella, but you can see he has feelings for her. What do you think she feels? And we know the first incident that caused Edward to hide from fame, but there were more incidents; we'll find about them.
> 
> Next chapter we'll see more about Bella and we will meet Jasper. His character is based on a friend I had in college, rich but with a few quirks. Oh, and what do you think is that business Carlisle is talking about?


	3. Chapter 2

EPOV

"So when making this variable equal to zero, you can solve for 'y' easily, see?" Jasper had the patience of a saint, he always finds the time to seat and help us whenever we don't understand our assignments.

"Urgh!" Bella, on the contrary, gets desperate whenever she doesn't comprehend fast. She pulls her hair or hits her head with her notepad. "Jasper, have I told you how nice you are?" And now she's resorting to the lowest: batting her eyelashes and pulling her doe eyes to the fullest pitiful expression.

"No Bella, I can't go and take your test for you." Jasper tickled her, amused.

"Oh, come on! I have a gorgeous brunette wig. And with your blue eyes... and I can make special brownies."

"Sorry, I'm too manly to pass for a girl."

"Please!" I messed with his hair. "Because these blond curls are the epitome of maleness."

He patted my hand. "Haven't your heard about Samson?"

"So that's why our bathroom is full of little bottles of hair products."

He threw a little eraser to my head. "Right, because you come with your sex-hair just out of the shower. Bella, did you know that all those hair straighteners and blow dryers are Edward's?"

Enough was enough! I tackled Jasper.

"Nooo!" Bella burst out laughing. "So all those tales about Maria leaving them after you broke up..."

"Mere lies!" Jasper shouted while he struggled to get out of my reach. My evident superior fighting skills were leaving him out of breath.

"Guys! Stop being silly." Bella packed her things. "Anyway, I have to leave because it will take me four hours to get to my parents home."

"Are you sure you can't wait 'til tomorrow?" I turned to help her with her bags and Jasper took the chance to push me to the floor again.

"Nope. Mom said that Dad threatened to come to my dorm for me. Apparently more than three weekends without me going home make him call Jane to ask for my whereabouts. And you know Jane..."

Jane is her crazy roommate. Daughter of a very strict accountant and a Stepford wife, Jane managed to charm Charlie into believing she's sweet as pie. He still believes she loves Justin Bieber and plays with her barbies. Turns out, Jane is a death metal fan, who introduced Bella to Cannibal Corpse and took her to a Lacrimosa concert when she was going through her goth phase. She's not bad at all, but she is very different from Bella. Over time, they learned to share their space. The problem started when Jane got a girlfriend and she's very jealous of Bella, which worked for my benefit as she's now sleeping in what was our guest room. While Jane usually kind of had an idea of Bella's whereabouts and was nice enough to cover for Bella because she did the same for her, now that they've distanced she's not very concerned to help her. So if Charlie threatened to call Jane and her girlfriend answered she may feel the need to explain where she's been sleeping lately.

"Don't forget to bring sugar cookies!" Jasper yelled because he still was under my hold.

"No, I won't. See you boys!" She said as she left. She left me with my mouth puckered, waiting for my kiss!

"Mua, Mua. He, he, he." Jasper was fast to kiss my cheek and he pushed me down again.

"Don't test me or I'll show you..."

"You should thank me for letting you look like a winner while Bella was here. Seriously, when are you going to ask her out?"

Jasper easily got out of my hold. Ok, maybe I'm not as a skilled fighter as I thought but he was distracting me with that question.

"You have to tell her. Now, when are you leaving? I want some of Tanya's stew or whatever she makes. You know how I love her cooking." He even was licking his lips just remembering the awesome taste of Tanya's food.

"You only think of food."

"Of course, I do. While you and Bella will be pampered and loved by your family, I'll be working on my stochastic processes homework. I'll be lucky if I remember to call for pizza!"

"Don't be dramatic. We left you some leftovers of lasagna and Dad brought me a few containers with food. You should be covered 'til we get back."

"But you know how I get when I'm 'in the zone'."

Right, Jasper was some kind of misunderstood genius and in order to achieve the level of concentration required for his studies, he smoked a lot of pot. He said it 'opened' his mind to the depths of math's abstraction. And while he gets high, time moves slowly or something like that because he gets like in a trance and it's true that sometimes he forgets to eat. But he overcompensates once he gets back to his senses as the little beer gut he's been developing can attest.

He's the grandson of Dad's old manager, a few years older than me. He's a strong believer of 'knowledge is power' and 'power to the people', so he joined a program to take education to the poorest third world countries and he did it for two years until he met Maria and came back home to marry her. Jasper's family was less than happy when they met her because she pushed Jasper to 'experiment to open his mind', so it meant drugs and a bit of really kinky sex, but drugs are a big no-no on his family. Soon, they presented him with proof of Maria's deceiving ways. She was cheating and stealing from him. He was so devastated that he decided to focus on learning and he joined UW in order to get his masters in some obscure math subject. I was about to start college at the same time and place so Dad thought it would be great if we shared an apartment, you know, so I could be keeping an eye on him the same way he would be with me. We had known each other our whole lives, so we were comfortable with each other. Now, I had to admit, he relapsed and got back with Maria for a few weeks, until I caught her with another guy and he finally threw her and got over her. So, yeah, he's also skittish around women. Oh, and those hair straighteners are hers. I only own two hair dryers.

xxx

Once I parked the car on Dad's home, I was crushed by Tanya's enthusiast hug and kisses.

"You're late! You said fifteen minutes and you don't live that far."

"There was a lot of traffic Tan."

"My handsome baby!" Tanya kissed my cheek again. She has been our housekeeper since I was a baby, so she's kind of part of our family. Her older sister was my grandparents' housekeeper and when Dad retired, Tanya joined us to help him with me. So yeah, she's very protective and spoils me to no end. She's like an aunt to me.

"How have you been Tan? Is Dad treating you well?"

"Oh no!" Then Tanya began to tattle on Dad, telling me how the washing machine got damaged and Dad felt the need to fix it by himself. Then she proceeded to throw a few bad words in Russian and I only got something like Dad had 'stomach hands' as he messes with anything he touches, but my Russian isn't that accurate, so she could be just insulting him. She left me at the dinning room table, where Dad was waiting for me.

"Sorry, but you how Tan gets when we're late for dinner. She always says it messes with the food." Dad stood up and gave me another hug. I love to feel welcomed by him.

"Yeah, she mentioned some washing machine incident..." I left my words hanging in the air and sure enough, Dad blushed.

"It was just the seal of the hot water hose broke. It was easy to repair. Honestly, I don't know what happened." Then he patted my hand. "But now you're home and you can help me to fix it. You're good for this kind of things."

Right. Since I was little I developed a flair to dismantle things to see how they were built. Dad says that's why he knew I would become an engineer. Suddenly, Dad got serious.

"Ed, do you think I've been a good parent?"

"Dad! You're the best! What? Why?"

"No, don't mind me. I just wonder sometimes."

"If this is about my anger towards the mall incident..."

"No, absolutely not. Don't mind me. Sometimes I just wonder. Anyway, your mother called. The annual Brain Tumor Charity Ball is coming and this year they're honoring Granny Cullen. So your mother is going to say a few words, then they're going to show a sculpture made in Granny's memory. Your mother wants us all to be there."

Like I mentioned, Dad and Mom remained as friends. So when they detected a brain tumor on my Grandmother, Mom was with her the whole way. She took her to her doctor's appointments because sometimes granny didn't want Dad of Grandpa to go. She was embarrassed because she lost control of certain bodily functions and somehow, Mom always lifted her spirits. When Granny died, Mom took it so bad like she was her own mother. So she got in touch with some charity and apart from joining as a spokesperson, she created a scholarship in Granny's honor for kids who were affected by brain tumors. She's very involved.

"Why didn't she call me?"

"Because she wanted to iron some details with me first. I have to convince your grandpa to come. She also mentioned if you wanted to bring Bella you should," Dad said those last words wriggling his brows.

"Urgh! Does she know?" I covered my face. Just what I needed, my mother meddling.

"I dunno." Dad shrugged his shoulders. "I never mentioned it to her."

I only voiced my feelings for Bella two times: First to my father because, well, he's the Carlisle Cullen. He's the man who can charm the coldest heart of the most frigid bitter woman. Of course, I would come to him for girl's advice.

And the second was Bella's own mother, Renee Higginbotham.

You may argue that Jasper knows, but he's just too observant, and I try to avoid the subject with him, but he has a way to read me and sadly I don't have a good poker face.

But Renee is different. She's an utterly famous and respected painter. I still remember the first time Bella came to this house and I was giving her the tour. I was a bout to brag of our own original Higginbotham when she chuckled and mentioned her mother did the painting when Bella was recovering from chicken pox and let her put her little fingers on the painting. Then she proceeded to show me where, and sure enough, two tiny orange stains that Renee transformed into flowers adorned the edge of the painting.

The first time Bella brought me to her home, Renee welcomed me warmly, but as soon as she noticed how attracted I was to Bella, she had a little talk with me. She made it clear that she was overprotective of her only child, but it was in a way that invited me to talk. She wasn't trying to scare me, she tried to show me her point of view, what made Bella's welfare so important. Since then, I respect her a lot.

"Your mother mentioned that if her parents want to come they can."

"Urgh! So it's her not so subtle way of guaranteeing Bella will attend."

"Hey! You have time, it's a month away. I can talk to her parents if you want."

"Let me think about it. Now, what about this business proposal?"

"Well, before you argue that it was caused by the mall incident," Dad really knows me, "this woman had been trying to reach me before that. But you know how I dealt with those, I sent her to Jenks."

Jenks is our lawyer, but sometimes he manages the occasional request for my father. From time to time, he agrees to perform, if he feels the act it's worthy. Three years ago, he was part of a concert on benefit for a child's hospital. But usually, he rejects the proposals.

"But I received an unexpected call today. Joe Whitlock asked me to hear this Esme Platt."

"Wow! Really?" Joe is Jasper's grandfather, the ex-manager of Dazzle Proximity and still a close friend. But to get his intervention on this matter there must be something important.

"Aha. So I set a date with Miss Platt at that coffee shop you like. I want you to come with me, I need to hear your point of view of whatever she asks."


	4. Chapter 3

"But I received an unexpected call today. Joe Whitlock asked me to hear this Esme Platt."

"Wow! Really?" Joe is Jasper's grandfather, the ex-manager of Dazzle Proximity and still a close friend. But to get his intervention on this matter there must be something important.

"Aha. So I set a date with Miss Platt at that coffee shop you like. I want you to come with me, I need to hear your point of view of whatever she asks."

xxx

So after a late night fixing the washing machine, we arrived to Gino's my favorite coffee shop only to be called by a young blond seated in one of the corner booths.

"Carlisle! Hey! Over here!" The blond waved.

"Oh! I can't believe it." Dad said with a bright smile, so I guessed he knew her.

"Rosalie Hale! You look so ... mature!"

The blond stood up to greet Dad, and that's when I noticed her face was familiar.

"I was still a teenager last time we met." She answered with an equally bright smile.

"Yep, at Nonna Whitlock's funeral. It seems like it was so long ago. It's sad how we only reunite for weddings and funerals, after all those years together."

Yeah, for that nostalgic look on his eyes alone, now I know this blond is the daughter of someone related to Dazzling Proximity. We used to be in touch with a few members and with Joe Whitlock. But life happens... and then he remembered he didn't come alone. "Hmm, do you remember my son Edward?"

"Gosh! Last time I saw you, you were this tall!" Blondie also regaled me with her bright smile while she pointed to a place just a bit higher than the table. Now, that she mentioned it...

"Rose! Now I remember!" I was polite enough to plaster a smile and greet her, but my memories of her weren't so fond as Dad's. Let's see, when I was three, she drew pink hearts all over my cast along with many Barbie sparkling stickers despite my refusal for such girly things, she forced me to play with her dolls when I was nine, and I had a vague memory of her pushing another boy but I can't remember why.

"I was so bossy, I know!" She had the decency to blush. "But I hope we can sit and talk and you'll see how much I had changed." She even dared to wink at me!

"So Rose, not that I'm not happy to see you, but why the sudden reunion and what does it has to do with Esme Platt, who by the way, still haven't arrived."

"Oh, no. I asked her to get here late. I wanted to talk to you first. See, I'm getting married," She lifted her left hand to let a shiny shred of an asteroid blink under the lights of the coffee shop. How could she move with something so big on her finger was a mystery to me.

"Congratulations Rose." Dad was fast to say.

"So, well, I'm inviting both of you to my wedding."

"When it's the joyous event?"

"Well, it's kind of postponed."

"Oh, is something he did? Because I can still kick somebody's ass if you want me." Dad gave her his mot charming smile, the one which makes his eyes twinkle with mischief. Jesus! He does it without thinking. The waitress who was coming to take our orders almost tripped and fell.

"No, nothing like that. You already met my fianceé, it's Emmett McCarthy. Alec's nephew."

"Big burly guy? Of course, I know him! And you're getting married! Time flies so fast." Dad had a wistful smile. I guess he had fond memories of this Emmett too.

"The thing is, well, Dad had a stroke."

"Peter? Oh my God! Is he fine?"

"Yes, he's recovering. As a matter of fact, the doctors say he's fine as long as he keeps his diet and avoids stress. But the thing is... the stroke kind of put things in perspective for him. And while I don't mind moving my wedding or postponing it, as long as he walks me down the aisle; what he really wants to do first may turn to be impossible. He wants some sort of Dazzling Proximity reunion."

I was about to protest but she continued.

"Not like a tour or a record. No. He said the group disbanded in the worst conditions and before he goes, he wants to make peace with each one of you."

Dad put his hands under his chin, deep in concentration. "So with you marrying Emmett, Alec is on board, right?"

"As long as it only to make peace. He avoids the limelight like the plague because it wasn't a pleasant experience for him."

This was news for me. I barely recalled the names of Dad's partners: Peter, who remained in music though he changed his genre and now is a renowned rocker; from Alec all I remember is an extremely well-dressed man, always serious. Then there were Chuck and Marcus, but I'm sure I never met them. That part when Dad was together with them was a bit vague for me because he never liked to talk about them.

"And then, you have Joe's support; because he was the one who encouraged me to hear Miss Platt."

"Uncle Joe got very scared when Mom called him from the hospital. I'm sure he supports Dad's wish completely."

"Well, with me you have three out of five, though I want to make sure I'm siding with Alec. Nothing goes to the public eye or the media. This is just a friends reunion."

"Sure. I promise you it's only for my Dad's peace of mind. Now we just have to find Marcus Volturi and Chuck Eagles. Tell me, do you really broke apart in such an awful terms that not even Joe knows about their whereabouts?"

Dad answer got cut by the arrival of a woman with caramel hair and a pleasant smile.

"Well Rose, I'm here. I guess this gentleman is Carlisle Cullen, right?"

You could see how time stopped, Dad turned around to greet the nice woman and his eyes got big like saucers. His usually confident smile faltered for a second but came back in full force along with a strange twinkle on his yes.

For the first time in my 19 years, I saw a woman dazzling my father.

xxx

I got back to my apartment on Sunday morning, tired of hearing all the qualities Dad discovered on Miss Platt during the forty minutes interview they had. Now, I can't begrudge him to find someone, I could count with one hand the number of relationships he had over the years. Well, now that I think about, he leads a very lonely life. But if I heard one more time how her eyes were green as the forest on spring I would vomit. I have green eyes, my mother has green eyes, and we never heard such compliments over our eye-color. I was lucky if they weren't green vomit or snot. Ok, I liked to have puke-colored eyes when I was seven, but the point is he never praised my eye color.

Jasper was locked up in his room because the riff of Gary Moore's 'Still got the blues' was blaring through the door; meaning he finished his homework and was 'relaxing'.

"I'm home!" I yelled to get his attention. Tanya was very generous and sent him a special container with lots and lots of goodies so he surely would come out...

"Eddie boy! Is it something cheesy hiding inside your plastic bag?"

Do you know the definition of 'millisecond'? Well, usually is the time that goes between the traffic light changes from red to green to the first honk; in our case is the time it gets to Jasper smelling cheese.

"Maybe. Were you a good boy in my absence?" I asked while dangling the bag over Jasper's head. Sucker wasn't as tall. Sadly, he knew about my tickling side and he wasted no time and was dirty enough to use it against me. We were interrupted by the sound of the front door banging, some fierce steps stomping and then Bella's door was slammed.

"Do you think she's on her days? Because sometimes she gets..."

"Shh! Don't even whisper those words! Don't you know those words always will get you in trouble?" and he was the experienced man! "Jasper, go and hide in your room. This is a task for real men." I said, but before he dared to answer, my phone beeped. It was Renee.

"Is she home safely?"

"Hmm, I think so. She went to hide inside her room. Did something happen Renee?"

"Ugh! It was a very difficult weekend and I have one hot-headed husband to blame. Just let Bella be and I promise she will tell you. Now, I have to go and deal with my, now in the doghouse, husband. If I have trouble with him, do you think Bella will let me share her room?" Renee joked, and after promising to call later to check on Bella she said goodbye.

"So?" Jasper asked, he was carrying Tanya's container and was chewing on something.

"She had a fight with her father."

"Oh."

Nothing new. Bella, despite being over intelligent, it's a bit immature in many aspects. She's been too sheltered her whole life.

When her parents married, they wanted to have kids more than anything, but by the third miscarriage, Renee felt like having a baby was out of the cards for her. So while she began to investigate the procedures to adopt, she miraculously got pregnant.

Charlie tended to her so she wouldn't lift a finger, and when they passed the six-month mark, she felt like they finally made it. Bella was born one month later, too weak and too tiny. She spent her first two months in an incubator and her first two years she didn't put a foot out of her house.

By the time she was supposed to begin kindergarten, Renee was so scared, because little Bella was so delicate... every time she was in contact with kids, being a birthday party, a walk on the beach, an afternoon at the park, she always ended sick. Rubella, mumps, chicken pox... Bella caught any virus floating around her.

So, her parents decided to homeschool her. And in a way, it turned out to be a blessing. Bella is almost as intelligent as Jasper, absolut MENSA material. The little school in Forks probably would have suffocated her thirst for knowledge. So she blossomed under the care of tutors, but very lonely. Around the time she was eleven, Renee was commissioned to paint a mural for one of her old mentor in a little villa in France. They spent six months in Gordes and Bella remembers then as one of the happiest periods from her childhood. She made friends and she found that she could play around without getting sick. She felt blessed as her lonely days would be over!

So when the time came for her to begin middle school, her parents allowed her to go to the public school in Forks. Big, big mistake. She lasted one week and ran away screaming asking for never coming back. She said those kids were so mean to her, that she stills avoids them and never discloses what they did to her.

So she remained studying with tutors but her parents stepped up from time to time to take her for something extra, like paintings classes in hopes of finding she inherited Renee's talent. Or dance lessons as Charlie showed her his moves since she was little and Bella enjoyed dancing. Turns out Bella and ballet are a no-no, and you can't ask her to draw something above stick figures. But she finally found her niche in more modern types of dance, so she has something 'artistic' in her, as Renee proudly says.

A brunette mass of hair showed through the kitchen door. "Sorry guys."

She extended her arm to show us she was bearing goodies to make for her hasty entrance. Jasper took the containers and sat happily to continue eating.

"Are you alright?" I asked. I took one of her curls which was hanging low over her eyes and brought it back to tangle it with the others.

"I'm better. It's just he's so stubborn... I'm eighteen, and I don't have to obey him anymore. I don't have to abide by his rules anymore!"

Yep, I told you, Bella is very young. I was so proud when I skipped a year and got into college at seventeen, well, Bella skipped two years, and suffered because she was too young when she finally got into college.

That was a big battle too. Charlie was adamant to keep her close, so community college in Port Angeles was fine to him, but Bella had a bout of rebelliousness and argued that she was accepted in many colleges, including Harvard. Renee finally made them agree that U-dub was close enough to home and would give Bella the chance to spread her wings.

When Charlie found Jane was her designated roommate, he was over the moon, thinking she was perfect but you know how that ended. Jane had her own rebel phase to go through.

"What did he do to make you this mad?" I asked. Those fights never came out of nowhere.

"Well, he had something to do at work, so Mom took me shopping." Bella turned around and slowly she got up pushing her chair back. "She bought me this. It isn't scandalous, right?" She asked nervously.

Now, the nervous one should be me. She looked gorgeous! Bella has some body image issues. She's very... curvaceous. And she covers herself with clothes three sizes bigger to hide that fact. The first time I saw her, I thought she was a bit... plump. Nothing bad, she's the best person I ever met. But once I saw her on formal clothes, namely a pencil skirt and a fitted blouse... I found she was a bombshell! She just hides behind her clothes, though I'm not one to talk as I hide behind my glasses. Well, today she was sporting one of those pants who reach mid-calf and one very demure top. She looked feminine and beautiful and gorgeous and, and...

"You look great Bella. What 's wrong? Do the colors don't mesh well together? I mean, that's something my mother and sister always frown upon." Jasper said, busy with the food.

Bella's face lighted up a bit and then she turned to me.

"You look excellent! As a matter of fact, you should wear more clothes like these when the weather allows it." I answered nodding enthusiastically. I can't tell her how much it means to me and my horny ass to see her like this and I have to stay seated to not scare her with my reaction to her curves, but I can try to show her my appreciation for her outfit.

"Well, when we woke up this morning Dad surprised us asking to go to church."

Jasper spat his food. "Your Dad what?"

Yeah, he's the less spiritual person, according to one that one would expect to see in church.

"Yeah, we were shocked. He asked Mom to change to a dress and then he looked at me. He got so mad! He said my pants were a few sizes shorter, because they don't cover my legs appropriately, and don't let me start with his words for my top. He was so mean! Now, Mom was right there defending my clothes, starting with explaining that these are capri pants; she mentioned they didn't expose anything improper but Dad got so angry... then he dropped the bomb. The reason why he wanted us to go to church is because he found Reverend Webber's daughter goes right here to college. He wants us to be friends! That's when I got crazy. That's the bitch who called me weird girl when I was a kid. She's the source of many of my problems! And he wants me to be best friends with her!"


	5. Chapter 4

"Bella!" Jasper and I gasped in unison. She never cursed.

"Do you kiss your Momma with that mouth?" Jasper faked more shock than necessary, but it also relieved the tension Bella had. "Why don't we have a picnic upstairs?"

By upstairs, he meant the roof garden. It had a fountain, a few loungers, and the view was wonderful. When we moved in, part of the agreement to let us stay here was to promise to never throw a party up there. Of course, we never had, but when the weather is nice we loved to have impromptu picnics.

So up we went, our arms full of containers and sodas; so when I tried to take out the keys to the terrace, a little note fell from my pocket.

"Hey! You dropped this..." Bella picked it up. The note was a small post-it wit Rosalie's phone number because she wanted to meet with Jasper too. As Bella was handing it to me, her smile fell. "Oh, you meet a girl over the weekend." She tried to compose her face, giving me a sad smile, but it never reached her eyes.

Jasper took the note from her hands, ready to tease me. He read it aloud "Rose H. and she gave you her digits. Hmm, seems like someone had an interesting Saturday."

"Oh, no. It's nothing like that."

The terrace was empty, just like we wanted. I followed Bella to the only table that rested under the shadow of a colorful parasol and placed the food I was carrying. "Do you remember my Dad's business meeting?"

Bella gasped. "Oh, sorry. I was so absorbed in my drama that I forgot to ask. Was it an offer for a cameo in a Sci-fi movie where giant furry caterpillars break havoc on a little town?"

We had a bet of the matter of that 'business offer'. Bella was sure someone wanted Dad in a film, Jasper thought it was one of those 'Where are they now?' articles, and I was sure some rich old lady wanted him to sing on her birthday party. Well, turned out we all were wrong.

"No, it was something completely unexpected."

"If you two stop chatting and help me!" Jasper shouted. Once we served the food, we sat on the loungers, and I explained what happened.

"So Rosalie is the daughter of my Dad's old partner Peter."

"Blondie? Oh, shit! Someone is crazy enough to marry her." Jasper shook his head. See, I wasn't the only one who thought she was mean.

"Yeah, and the woman she hired as the wedding planner, turned out to have experience finding lost people."

This time, both of my friends were curious.

"Something about her father being a private investigator, so she helped him when she was younger and still has the contacts, though it isn't her area of expertise."

"Still, doesn't explain what she's doing helping that girl." Bella still wasn't capable of calling Rose by her name, it was 'that girl'. If she only knew...

"Rose mentioned something about discretion. While Esme promised nothing would come out, Rose is worried that the fate of Marcus or Chuck may be tragic or embarrassing. She wants to avoid any chance for this information to come out. So, Rose is keeping a close eye on them, while Esme is still planning her wedding."

"Oh." Jasper understood. "Well, I'm not sure what happened when the group ended. I only know everybody was tired and they barely spoke to each other. I was a baby when it happened. But if they don't dare to mention it inside the family, must be something quite scandalous."

"Or maybe not, but to give room to speculation was essential at the time, I guess. Dad told me the record company forced Peter, Alec and him to remain under their contract for a few more years. So I guess the mystery was good publicity." I shrugged my shoulders because just like Jasper said, they never talked about it.

Jasper went on asking questions about Dad's opinion and how I felt, but if it was just a reunion, I couldn't see anything wrong. Then I remember the best part.

"And guess what."

"What?" Bella still was uncomfortable.

"Dad has a crush on the wedding planner."

Jasper spat his food. "No way! Rico, suave Carlisle Cullen has a crush?"

"Yep. I think it's the first time I've ever see Dad blushing."

Bella giggled at the image.

But we were interrupted by the arrival of two old neighbors: Miss Jones from 2B and Mrs. Weinstead from next door.

"Oh, just who we were looking for!" Miss Jones exclaimed though I'm sure she saw us coming here.

"I think congratulations are in order." Mrs. Weinstead said, walking to Bella's lounger and pushing her to the edge.

"Congratulations?" Jasper frowned, probably wondering if he forgot my birthday or another relevant event.

"Yes! For the engagement!" Miss Jones looked at Jasper like he was daft.

Now, it was me who choked on his food. "En-g-gage-ment?"

"Oh, don't be shy. Though I would surely try to hide the fact that I'm engaged to that Jezebel." She patted my knee.

"Yeah, what story did she tell you? Is she faking a pregnancy?" Miss Jones asked, looking at me with pity.

"I'm not engaged!"

"That's the spirit." Mrs. Weinstead nodded.

"But, where did you get the idea that I'm engaged?" Because yeah, where? what? why?

"It's clearly shown here." Mrs. Weinstead showed me a picture on her phone of the coffee shop, where I was seated with Rose and smiling. Bella and Jasper scooted closer to see the picture, which made Bella frown.

"And then there's this one." Mrs. Weinstead showed us another picture, this time of Rose's hand with her gigantic rock.

"Oh, but I'm not engaged to her," I said, noticing the pictures were posted on TMZ. "As a matter of fact..."

"I really hope it's a lie." The voice of another woman resounded on the roof garden. Uh-oh.

The worst of our old lady neighbors came by. She left her flat booty fall on the lounger, forcing the other two ladies to push Bella who almost fall. I quickly stood up and brought her to sit with me, earning the disappointed glare of Mrs. Van der Meeren.

"As I said, I hope it is a lie or a publicity stunt. You could do so much better than that woman. She's fooling you into a marriage but I don't think she will settle." She said.

"Oh, no. she's too wild. Do you remember those pictures where she showed her... hmm... her..." Miss Jone struggled to find the right words.

"Her lack of underwear, sweetie." Mrs. Weinstead patted her leg. "Right, and that was on of her tame pictures." Now she spoke in hushed whispers.

Mrs. Van der Meeren nodded, and she showed us her tablet, full of old pictures of Rosalie in various parties, always with little clothes and probably a bit inebriated. I didn't know she loved to party.

"I must talk to your father. He's obviously under the impression that she's a different kind of girl." Mrs. Van der Meeren stated.

"I'm not engaged, and less to her," I said, because eww!

"But Just Jared never lies. And here is Esme Platt seated beside your father." Mrs. Weinstead said, like that would explain how they were so sure.

"She only agrees to work on weddings for wealthy families."

"And only with months of advance. She's known for making every bride's dream wedding come true."

Oh. Maybe that's why we never heard of her before. And who's Jared?

"He's not engaged to Rosalie. She just invited them to her wedding." Jasper said, in hopes to get the old ladies out of the roof garden. They were interfering with his food!

I nodded enthusiastically. How could they think I could marry Rose?

"Really? Because if you're into older girls my niece Caroline turned twenty-five and she's the sweetest thing!" Miss Jones said with glee. Why do they always want to set me up?

xxx

Next day at college I was barely keeping up. I couldn't sleep because those old ladies make me realize something. Those gossip sites took pictures of us, having something so innocent as a cup of coffee, and made such a drama about it. Just coffee! And then, they dug on Rose's past to bring back those embarrassing pictures... would they dare to dig on my past?

Bella was glad that my fan-club, as she called all the girls trying to get close to me, got mute today. No one dared to come close. Maybe those pictures were a blessing in disguise. Maybe finally things will get back to normal and people will leave me alone.

Just when I was having such happy hopeful thoughts, one of the worst girls got closer. I really disliked this one, because she felt entitled to force me to get her in touch with my mother. This girl was almost as tall as me, so thin I was afraid the wind would make her fall and had one of those snotty faces even when she smiled. Worst, she had weird legs, with her calfs twice as big as her thighs. I really found it weird. She claimed she was destined to become a model and was sure once my mother saw her she would sign her. I tried once, and showed Mom her picture, that this girl purposely left over my laptop one day, but Mom said she wouldn't hire her, she didn't have 'the look' whatever it was. I thought I made that clear to her but apparently not.

"Hey, Edward. I heard you like older girls." She said and she showed me the one picture I prayed every day to never see again. My days of peace were really over. Shit! What will Bella think? I'm screwed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!
> 
> Don't worry, Edward wasn't that bad. But obviously, he has an interesting past. And yeah, I had to mention the giant caterpillars, huge wink to another of my stories. so what do you think?


	6. Chapter 6

"Hey, Edward. I heard you like older girls." She said and she showed me the one picture I prayed every day to never see again. My days of peace were really over. Shit! What will Bella think? I'm screwed.

xxx

While I stood frozen, Bella took two steps to get a closer look at the picture. It was one of those moments where I wished those portable holes existed. You just take it out of your pocket, let it drop under your feet and boom! You're saved. Why? you may ask. Well, it was my first foray into... girls. Somehow this girl tricked me and I was wearing only my underpants while she got the top of her dress down. Long story short, she set me up to take pictures of the awkward moment.

"Oh, girl. You're in big trouble. Do you realize you're the owner of child porn? It's severely punished. Sorry, but I'm going to call the cops. I can't let you..."

"Wa-aa-it. Child porn? But it's a picture of Edward!"

"A really young, surely a minor, Edward." Bella shook her head. "And you were displaying the picture proudly. Edward, call 9-1-1."

The speed with which the annoying girl left running was almost cartoonish.

"Silk boxers Edward? Really?" Bella tsked.

"They were manly?" And I had to make it sound like a question. I'm screwed.

"How old were you when that was taken?" Now she seemed concerned.

"Fourteen. Listen, I know I owe you an explanation," she nodded, "but I don't feel comfortable talking about that incident around people."

I pointed to Bella how a few fellow students stopped their walk and were watching amused.

"Why don't we go back to the apartment? And I promise I'll tell you everything."

Bella took a moment to agree, but then she smiled at me. "Did you know I have an eidetic memory? Those purple silk boxers are engraved on my memory. For blackmailing material..." And she gave me an honest smile.

xxx

Once we were back home, I convince her I needed a bit of liquid courage to tell her the story.

Bella poured me a shot and started to talk. "You know, you're really a bad influence. We skipped our last class," I nodded, "On Monday," I nodded again, "and we're drinking..."

"You don't need to drink, I'm the one embarrassed." But if she drinks maybe she could forget.

Bella downed one shot of vodka and smiled. "Go, start talking. How come someone took a picture of you only in your underwear?"

"Well, did I tell you about my mother's almost wedding?"

"She was married?"

"No. Almost. See, this little incident caused her to broke up with the guy. His name was Paolo."

"Oh, Italian." Bella nodded like that explained everything.

"Well, he claimed to be Italian, but now we're not so sure. Anyway, Mom met him and a couple of months later, she told us they were going to get married. And because of me being at a boarding school, I didn't meet him until the rehearsal dinner."

"Wow. I never realized you were so unattached from your mother."

"Only because I was at school. Dad hated the guy but somehow we all thought it was because of jealousy. So the day of the rehearsal dinner came and Paolo brought his 'daughter', Kate." I even made air quotes. We still doubt she was his daughter.

"The blond girl on the picture, right?"

"Yeah. I was so stupid. She spent the night flirting with me, and I was so excited. She was almost twenty and paying attention to me."

Bella gave me a sad smile. I clearly remembered that night. I just had a growth spurt, I was all legs and arms because my head and torso missed the memo and stubbornly remained small. I still had braces, my glasses were ridiculous and of course, my face was full of pimples. Quite the ladies man!

"Imagine a gorgeous blond coming to you, flirting. She whispered in my ear if I wanted to see her boobs." I dropped my head in shame. I was so stupid! I should have seen it coming.

"Just like that?" Bella brows almost left her head. Clearly, she doesn't know what some girls are capable of.

"Yes. I followed her to a secluded corner where she started to kiss me. Really kiss me, with tongue and no one ever kissed me like that." I still didn't dare to lift my eyes. "It was my first real kiss."

Bella gasped. "But, but..."

"Then she took my hand and placed over her dress... I can't tell you how excited I was." Just like when I see Bella on those tight PJs she almost never wears. "She led me to one back room, it was empty except for a few boxes. I thought I was scoring that night and I almost ca... embarrassed myself a bit more. So we kept kissing and she unzipped her dress, letting her breasts free and I wanted to touch them so desperately. But she asked me then to be fair, she was half naked, I should do the same, so I took off my shirt and pulled down my pants."

Bella poured me another shot.

"I took a step closer to kiss her again when a blinding light shocked me. There was a man taking pictures of us. She screamed, and I think I screamed too. Then my mother opened the door and a furious Paolo pushed me claiming I was abusing his daughter. I didn't know she was his daughter until then!"

Bella sighed. "And what happened later?"

"Pure chaos. My mother's assistant managed to get the camera from the man, and escorted him to where security was waiting. Mom was hugging me and hiding me from Paolo while Kate just zipped her dress and smiled like nothing happened. Later on, Dad found out that Paolo was skittish to sign the tight prenup my mother's lawyer gave him, so he thought to use his 'daughter' to pressure my mom to forget about the prenup, but it backfired. My mother got so angry, I was barely fourteen and this girl clearly was older."

My horny pubescent self fell for the lies of a professional scammer, it changed me. When I got back to school, my head and arms finally grew as they should. I changed my attitude toward girls. No more innocent, naive, Edward Cullen. Though it wasn't something I was ready to share with Bella.

Bella, who was so sad when she hugged me.

"Oh, Edward! I feel so much for the younger you. You were just trying to get accepted."

"Shh, shh. Sure I felt humiliated, but at the end of the day, I got my first kiss and reached second base the same night." I tried to wiggle my brows.

"You're such a pig." She slapped my arm and stumbled back to where was seated before.

"You're such a light weight."

"Not true! My mother likes to dine with wine, so I can tell you I've developed a resistance to alcohol." She said with fake arrogance while stumbling a bit, showing how so not true it was.

"Suuure." I stumbled a little too. Maybe none of us had any tolerance to alcohol.

"Hey, Edward. Are you a virgin?"

Now I coughed. "Wha-aat?"

"You reached second base at fourteen, so how much progress did you have since then?"

Certainly, not a question I really wanted to answer. I had a period during high-school when I was friend with James that would never put me in Bella's good side. But if I phrase it correctly...

"Technically... I am a virgin."

Bella scoffed. "Bah. I don't believe you."

"Yeah, I've done some things..." a lot of things, "but I never got to seal the deal with anybody." I nodded satisfied of the way I answered. I wasn't lying, just keeping a few details out.

"Some things?" She asked.

"Well, Bella. There's a lot more than intercourse. See, when a man and a woman..."

"Shut up! I'm not that naive."

Now I was the one not believing.

"Let me tell you I've seen a man's pee pee in person."

"Bella, when you say 'pee pee' it loses the dirty connotation. Changing baby's diapers doesn't count."

"Oh no. I saw a grown man pee... dick."

I laughed. Where could she possibly see a man naked when her parents never let her go out?

"At Forks?"

"Of course not! I think the most I saw there were a couple of deer copulating. No, once in France, when I got back before entering college. We went to a nude beach."

I spat my drink. "You what?"

"My friends in France took me to a nude beach. A very eye opening experience, for sure." She said with an air of maturity, before burst out laughing. "Ok, we went for curiosity, stood in our bathing suits for ten minutes completely ashamed. Then we left before someone noticed how old we were."

"I knew it!"

"Hey! You've never been to a nude beach, so I'm still more experienced in one certain area."

That was fine for me as I don't know how I would react to Bella having experienced something more physical. It was selfish, but I wanted to be her first. If only I found the courage...

"By the way, there's a gala coming over honoring my grandmother."

"Really?"

"Iwantyoutocomewithme." See, I did it.

"What? Once again, please."

Ok, I almost did it.

"I would like you to come with me."

Bella was blushing, the expression 'red as a tomato' always sounded excessive but now I saw it was possible. All shew mumbled was a timid 'yes'.

"Let's drink for our first date," I said and she spat the soda she was drinking.

"Da-ate?"

Uh-oh. Maybe I was reading her wrong?

"Only if you want it."

"Of course I want it. But you know how my father gets and now it seems too formal..."

"Well, it's a ball. You'll use a pretty dress and we will dine and then we'll dance the night away. Maybe it's a bit formal. You can bring your parents if you want to."

Bella closed her eyes and sighed. "You don't have an idea for how long... but then Dad... and I'm still so mad at him... Ok. Let me talk with my mother. When did you say this shindig was?"

xxx

Some time later, after we had a few more shots, Jasper was back home.

"Well, it seems you started the party without me. What are we celebrating?

"I saw Edwards boxers and a girl showed us pornography but I made her run. Now I'm going with Edward to a ball but I still don't believe he never locupated."

Jasper stood with his mouth open. Surely he didn't understand Bella's term for 'copulated'.

"No, no. You're telling it wrong Bella. A girl at school showed us an awful picture, and Bella fooled her to believe it was a felony, so the girl ran."

Bella made her fingers move like feet running. "Shoosh, shoosh."

"And I told her the story behind the picture, then she asked me if I was virgin but she doesn't believe that I am. I've never 'locupated'."

"So how many drinks I have to take to speak gibberish like you two?"

"Jasper, are you a virgin-virgin or partial virgin like Edward?" Bella wiggled her brows.

Jasper smiled. "Oh, my little padawans. You have so much to learn. First about the boxers. Edward, it's rude to show them around."

xxx

Next morning I woke up to the shining light of the sun coming into my room.

"Wakey wakey little sunshine! You have class in an hour." Jasper yelled.

I tried to tell him to fuck off, but somehow my mouth was drier than the desert.

"I let you both drink because you told me you had class until noon. Well, it's time to wake up."

A vague image of me trying to lift a sleeping Bella to take her to her room came to me.

"Bella?" I manage to grumble.

"In her room, I hope she's almost ready."

"How did she got there?"

"Oh, that was interesting. She fell asleep on the floor and like the gentleman we all know you are, you tried to lift her up and carry her to her bed. Sadly, your legs weren't cooperating so I offered to help you to carry her if you could walk a straight line, which you didn't. So I carried her and gave you a little push over here."

"Ugh!"

"Now, chop, chop. You have that one class and later we're supposed to go to your father's home."

"Why?"

"Because he wants you to explain him about the picture. You and Bella had some interesting theories about where that girl got it. Clearly, none of you are any Sherlock Holmes or Hercule Poirot, but you had a few good ideas."

"Bella?"

"Bella has a study group session, so no. She won't be coming with us. Now hurry because the Jasper Whitlock express is about to leave the house."

xxx

When we arrived at my father's home, we found Rosalie, Miss Platt, and a man, looking at an old video of Dazzling Proximity.

"Hi!" I whispered, hoping to get his attention but his eyes were glued to the TV.

"Oh, hi Edward!" Miss Platt welcomed me. "Your father was kind enough to show us the video of the group's first tour. Aren't they cute?"

Carlisle had a wistful smile. "Look, that's Joe giving us his speech. He always did it before we left."

"Jasper you look just like him," I told him while I sat on the floor.

"Like you didn't look like your father." He sat by my side.

"Oh my God! That's true!" Rosalie said. "Hey, who's that girl?"

A red-haired woman sat behind Dad. They were already on the bus, answering the questions whoever was filming them was asking.

"That's Victoria, the sister of our producer." Dad stood up and pointed to an older man with dreadlocks. "That's Laurent. The record company hired him and forced him to come with us." Then he pointed to a young guy, with dark brown hair and an attitude. "That's Chuck. He always acted like he was a rebel, but in reality, he was as innocent as the rest of us."

Rosalie stood up and pointed to another man. "That's my dad! Hey, why Alec was in the back?"

"He liked to read while we were traveling. He was the serious one." Dad smiled. "Always dressed to the nines."

"And the one with the black hair is Marcus?" Miss Platt asked.

"Yeah. He had quite a temper! When he was in a bad mood, we usually left him alone."

"All of you look so young. How old were you?" Rosalie wondered.

"Seventeen. The rest were around the same age. Look at us, full of hope and dreams."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!
> 
> Sorry, this chapter was supposed to be posted last week. I'll try to get you the next chapter before Wednesday.
> 
> So what do you think?


	7. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We get a peek at Bella's mind on this chapter ;)

EPOV

"All of you look so young. How old were you?" Rosalie wondered.

"Seventeen. The rest were around the same age. Look at us, full of hope and dreams."

xxxx

Dad's comment of innocence made Rosalie smile.

"From what I heard, all of you made poor uncle Joe go bald."

Dad turned to look at Rosalie ashamed. "Well, we were quite a handful; but in the beginning, our pranks were pretty harmless. We were meeting each other."

I gave another glance to the TV. Dad with his blond mane, his corn blue eyes, his chiseled jaw and cheekbones, and that straight nose that I inherited... wait a minute. His nose had a bump. Could it be possible Dad had a nose job? Hmm, interesting. He never mentioned it. And I wouldn't dare to ask in front of these people. Lest Miss Platt hears me.

Then I diverted my sight to the other members of the group. The one with that rebel stance that wanted to scream 'I'm a bad boy' had the most abundant brown hair I ever saw. His brown eyes were so deep I felt he could read my soul with one look. That Chuck probably gave Dad a run for his money on the chicks department.

At the back was Alec. Really pale with jet black hair and gray eyes. His features a bit too delicate, but I could see why they chose him for the group.

Then Peter. Blond haired, brown eyed and with a gentle smile. You had to like him, he had a great charisma.

And last, Marcus. Dark brown hair with greenish eyes. He oozed confidence and I guess he was really handsome in a different way from the others.

All looked so different, yet somehow the group looked balanced. What happened in that eleven year period to make them hate each other? What broke the group?

Finally, the video was over and Dad stood up to turn on the lights.

"Hello, fiancé." Rose came closer to greet me and winked at the word 'fiancé'. Of course, she knew about the pictures.

She turned to Jasper who made a cross with his fingers and screamed "Vade retro, Satan!"

To which she just laughed and slapped Jasper's arm.

"I can't believe you're still angry about that."

Looking at my confused face, Rose cleared it for me. "I found a few things about Maria and I told him. He should be thankful for my advice."

"Thankful? You were horrible! Your bluntness was astounding." Jasper wasn't prone to use such harsh words, but you could see he wasn't really angry. Just teasing her.

"Please! Like there was a way to soften that kind of blow. 'Your girlfriend just went to bed with my friend's boyfriend'. As I recall, your mother was clapping when I showed pictures of Maria leaving with him."

"I was a bit in denial." Jasper sighed.

The man who was seated at Rose's side stood up and walked to greet us too, but not before adding his two cents "In her defense, we all thought a little bluntness would open your eyes. Do you remember me, Edward?"

So this was Emmett. Of course, I remembered him!

"Sure Emmett!" I stood up too and gave him a man hug, I only got a few memories of him, but very pleasant unlike the ones of his fiancé.

"So you remember him? From where?." Rose wondered.

"He taught me how to throw a punch." Yeah, I met him for a week and he left a much better impression.

"What?"

"An older kid was bullying him. Better to give him the means to defend himself." Emmett said shrugging his shoulders. Then he greeted Jasper, apparently everybody is like family over here. How come I barely remember them?

"So Mr. Cullen, you were telling me how the group broke apart," Miss Clapp asked Dad. I forgot she was here.

"I told you to call me Carlisle, Esme." Dad gave Miss Platt his most charming smile, making her blush. So maybe he had a chance, hmm.

"So Carlisle, how come the group separated?"

"Well, by the time we were finishing our last tour, we barely tolerated each other. I mean, we fought more than we talked." Dad turned to Rose. " I had a fist fight with Peter because he lost a pick and he was looking through my things to find it. I got angry and instead of talking it up, we fought. That night we had to perform with tons of makeup that barely covered our black eyes." Dad shook his head. "Joe was tired. After our last concert, he gave us one month to stay away from each other and relax, but threaten with a week of group therapy in order to get us to work as a team again."

"So what happened? You didn't go to therapy?" I asked because I was so curious, this was the most I heard about the group's ending.

"No. The night we were coming back after our last concert something happened." Dad looked around, noticing how enthralled we were with the story. "We were on the bus, Alec at back like always, Peter was sleeping on a cot, Joe and Laurent were talking in the middle and I was sitting alone at the front. Chuck bought a new car and he was driving behind us. Marcus and Victoria were traveling with him. Then, we found a rough patch of black ice on the road. The bus swirled but the driver managed to stop without further damage. But Chuck's car didn't stop. It spun almost a 360 degrees side turn, then it crashed into a tree. It was a mess. When we got to the hospital, mainly with sprains and bruises, we found that Chuck's legs were crushed, while Marcus had his right arm broken in so many places. His face was the worst. The windshield broke and hundreds of tiny splinters flew into his face, he almost lost the sight of his right eye."

"What about Victoria?" Jasper asked.

"Meh. She got a few bruises and a cracked rib. She left the hospital the next day." Dad sighed. "But for Chuck and Marcus, it was a long way to recovery. We went to visit frequently, but when we were told they were about to be released, Chuck's family took him away and we never saw him again. Marcus still managed to say goodbye, but he also left without a trace."

"Oh, that was terrible!" Miss Platt exclaimed, putting into words what everybody was thinking.

Deep down inside, I always thought egos got the best of them and that was why they broke the group, but to find something so terrible was the real reason behind it. But then I noticed something. Dad's disdain for Victoria's wellbeing wasn't normal. He was keeping something else about that accident. Should I insist he give me the real reason? Should I leave it like that? More important, would it help to find Chuck and Marcus?

"But they were alive, right?" Jasper asked, confused as to why he didn't know.

"Yes. Chuck had a long time on physical therapy to walk again. And Marcus was scheduled to receive treatment for his eye. Those weren't life-threatening situations, but at the time it made logical to disband the group." Dad sighed. "Sadly, the record company had us by the balls and the only agreement we reached was that we got back until the end of the contract, but we decided to go on our own way."

"Yes, and they treated all of you like garbage. Just look what they did to my uncle Alec."

I missed the rest of that conversation because Rosalie came to talk to me.

"Did those pictures cause you any problems?"

"Not those pictures in particular." Then I remembered the embarrassing ones from her that surfaced. "What about you? Those gossip rags were brutal."

"I know! They made me look like a whorish cougar stealing your innocence." She seemed outraged. "I considered suing them, because really, it was my twenty-first birthday! Of course, I got drunk! And they photoshopped a couple to make it look like I was..."

"So you never were a party girl?" Jasper asked with a devious smile.

"Oh, well! That happened when I was younger. But I was utterly discreet, Dad never found out."

I lost track of Jasper and Rose's conversation because Emmett and Miss Platt were talking just behind my back, very loudly.

"You were right about the stage name, Emmett." Miss Platt said cheerily.

"Yeah. Our family wasn't happy when Alec joined the group, so he changed his name to spare them the shame." Emmett squirmed in shame. "He was lucky he was eighteen, otherwise, Grandpa would have brought him back by the ears."

"I still need to talk to Joe Whitlock in person, because the name he gave me for Chuck came blank. It's like he joined the group and then disappeared. But we found a new lead to Marcus. We found one of his cousins living in Italy."

"Hey! Earth to Edward!" Jasper elbowed me.

"Uh?"

"Rose here was wondering about Bella. How come you finally got a date with her."

"Uh? You know about Bella?"

"Your Dad told me. I was so anxious about causing you problems because of the pictures."

"Speaking of pictures. Jasper told me that a girl brought one to college?" Dad suddenly was by my side.

"Yes. One I would never wish to see again."

Dad got quiet thinking which one like there were tons of them around.

"The one with Paolo and Kate," I said, trying to keep quiet the circumstances around said picture.

"The one where you..." he tried to cover his chest with his hands, clearly remembering which one I was talking about.

"The one and only. Though, I thought Mom destroyed any evidence of that night."

Dad got serious. "Well, she got the camera of the photographer. Jesus! I don't want to bother your mother with this, you know how she gets and I think this is one of those times when a subtle approach is better."

Rose, despite being ignorant about what we were talking about, offered a great piece of advice. "Did the picture came from a gossip site? TMZ? Because if it isn't I'm sure it came from someone mad at you."

"No. Bella was adamant the picture was clean. And you know she's very observant." I completely trusted her input.

"Hmm, it's weird. A couple of my pictures came from a hidden file from the days I tried to be a model. Nobody outside my family had those. I agree with you, Carlisle. It's better to investigate where they come from, before attacking. Now, Edward, you were telling us how you finally got the courage to ask Bella to be your date."

I didn't notice that at that precise moment Tanya came to the living room bringing a tray with drinks, and clearly, it was the first time Dad heard about it because both jumped to my side screaming "Finally!"

xxx

BPOV

My 'Electronics' class with Mulholland was the bane of my existence! Clearly, he believes we live and breathe for his class, as he gave us enough assignments to keep us busy the whole semester. His class is the only one that gathered a study group of forty students. Forty! His TA helped us finding an empty classroom for our study sessions where we take turns to try to solve the problems in every chapter of our book. Right now we're on the verge of finishing his last assignment and sadly I wasn't paying any attention because I'm facing a conundrum.

See, Edward finally asked me out. Yes, Edward Cullen, the man I've been crushing since the day I met him. He asked me to accompany him to a charity ball. A very big and public date.

While firstly I felt like all the planets aligned and my dreams were about to come true, my brain had to start to work and brought me down from my high. There were a few aspects of dating Edward that I didn't consider before. Right now, I saw three possible paths to follow. The first one would be to leave my parents ignorant. But there was a giant flaw. Being a charity ball, with personalities such as Edward's parents, reporters and photographers were a sure thing, and with my luck, one giant picture of me would be posted in the papers. So I couldn't risk Dad catching me lying.

Then, I would have to tell them. I didn't have a problem with my mother, she would be elated. But, and that was my worst fear, what about my Dad? I still can't understand the reason why I have to keep my male friends hiding from my Dad. Mom is adamant he can't meet them.

And I wonder why. Surely, he is aware of my making friends with the opposite sex at some point. I mean, I'm an engineering student, does he knows the proportion of males to women in this major?

Urgh! Mom always asks me to be patient, but come on! I'm eighteen and I already missed a lot of life experiences by being locked up at home.

"Bella, did you copy the previous problem? I got distracted and they started with the next one." Ben, one of my classmates, came to disturb my thoughts.

"Uh? Oh, sure."

I'm so lucky to copy without thinking what I saw at the blackboard.

Where was I? Oh, right. Telling my parents about Edward. I don't know how can this be a good idea. Obviously, I still had the third option: to cancel my date. Now, that one I shouldn't even consider as an option. Nope. So, the best course of action, for now, is to talk to my mother hoping she agrees to help me with Dad. Why is he so rigid? I mean, I know he was a wild one on his youth. My grandparents disowned him because of his unruly behavior! And here I am, paying for his wild ways by being condemned to a life of ostracism.

"Thanks, Bella. Hmm, are you ok?" Ben was back with my notes.

"Sure, I'm fine. Just a bit tired. Nothing that eight hours of sleep couldn't cure." I gave Ben what I thought was a reassuring smile, but he still seemed worried.

"Are you sure? Because if you want to talk, you know, we can have a cup of coffee."

"Thanks, Ben. But I swear I'm going to sleep as soon as we finish with this."

Ben finally turned around to pay attention to whoever was explaining the next problem at the front. He was very kind, as always. I got the feeling he sees me as his little sister but I needed time alone to clear my mind.

Although his interruption finally made me see the light. If I want my parents to treat me like an adult, I have to behave like one. I am a strong, confident woman after all.

I left the overcrowded classroom, phone in hand because I needed to make that call before I lost the courage.

"Bella, baby? How are you? Is everything fine?"

"Mom, Edward finally asked me out."

My mother's squeal almost broke my eardrums. It was now or never. "But I need you to keep it from Dad."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!
> 
> So, do you think Renee will help Bella?
> 
> What do you think about the reason behind Dazzling Proximity break up?
> 
> I'm behind answering reviews, but tomorrow I'll have a bit of free time so I will answer you tomorrow. I preferred to post this chapter now and answer you later :)
> 
> See ya soon.


	8. Chapter 7

EPOV

The sun shining on Friday caught off guard, and I was carrying many books, my laptop and a cup of coffee. I decided to keep my hoodie on because I didn't have an extra hand to carry it, though the heat was making me reconsider. Maybe if I wrapped the books with it...

"Hey, Edward!" A male voice yelled.

I turned around to see who was calling me. I found it kind of weird. Mostly, days like this one when Bella was busy leaving me to wander alone, females were the ones calling me. Does that make me sound conceited? Jasper's schedule never clashes with ours, so we barely saw each other around here, so which friend could be calling me?

A giant hand made me stop. but it was a friendly touch. It was Emmett.

"Sorry, I was lost in my thoughts. It's good to see you, man. But, what are you doing in the suddenly sunny lands of Udub?"

"Looking out for you. Listen, I want to have a few words if you have the time."

My last class was just over, so sure I had time. We made our way to an area full of benches.

"Listen about this Friday," he was nervous, scratching the hairs around his neck.

"Oh, right. What do you want for dinner? We can have pizza, Chinese, maybe a few beers." After our impromptu reunion, we decided to get together to catch on what we were doing these last years. Rose was the one that suggested the reunion, and Jasper was fast to agree. Me? I felt she pushed it a bit but maybe I'm a bit biased because I still find her bossy. But I wanted to talk to Emmett again, so why not agree?

"Whatever you want is fine. We aren't picky."

I rolled my eyes because Rose seemed to me the picture of 'pickiness' but Emmett just laughed. "Despite what you think, Rose isn't finicky at all. She will eat whatever you put in front of her."

"Really?"

"Except when she's on those days. Then, I swear I avoid her. Damn hormones!" Emmett laughed. Well, maybe he wasn't so blinded by love. "No, what I wanted to talk you about is the reason why it's important to her to have this little reunion. You looked like you weren't sure, I know you like your privacy. You see, she's a very lonely girl."

I never thought someone could use that word to describe Rosalie.

"She has had bad experiences, with her being the daughter of the famous Peter Hale and what not. Usually, girls only got closer to her to be seen with her, it's pathetic what they do. And if she dares to question their intentions they usually made her life hell. Those photoshopped pictures that apparently show her without underwear were fake, made by a jealous woman who dared to call herself Rose's best friend."

"Oh."

"And now, you're offering her the chance to get close to people just like her. I always had it easier, because my uncle was almost a hermit and we weren't that close until a few years ago. But Rose seems fond of you, she remembers you were such a cute kid, her words not mine."

I chuckled. "And well, you have a girlfriend."

I was about to protest, Bella isn't mine... yet.

"I know, I know. What I mean is that you're offering the chance to meet a girl who doesn't care if your father was a famous singer or a janitor. You don't know how rare is to find someone like that. And don't let me start on the envious ones about Rose's looks. Girls are so mean."

Oh, but I was completely aware. In my experience, it wasn't only girls who could be mean.

"And she doesn't want to miss a chance to tease Jasper. You saw how much both like to argue." Emmett said laughing. Well, that was true.

Somehow it downed to me, that perhaps Rose's bossiness came from the same place my pickiness came from. Maybe we have much more in common than I thought of.

xxx

On Friday's afternoon, Bella was pacing on the hallway. She was nervous to meet Rose, she looked at many pictures of her and thought someone so beautiful would look at her like she was less. I tried to calm her, to no avail, so I decided to get busy and let her be for the moment.

"But Edward! She's used to all those fancy places, to use designer clothes! Should I change to my dark blue jeans?"

"Bella, Bella, Bella. Stop. She won't look at what you're wearing. This is a simple reunion, just friends sharing food and beers. Don't worry." I said, hoping to finally ease her worries. Unfortunately, she got worst.

"But what if she thinks I'm beneath both of you? I hear it a lot at college, you know? But those vapid hoochies never mattered to you, I know. But this is Rose! She was a childhood friend, someone your father likes!"

Jasper came out of his bedroom, finally dressed. His usual Birkenstocks replaced by his worn out Nikes. I'm sure he wore that t-shirt two days ago, he just smells his clothes and if it doesn't stink he considers it clean but we are having guests. Maybe if I offer some cologne he wouldn't get offended?

"Bella, hun, you're beautiful and lovely. Trust me, Rose will be delighted to meet you."

"Thanks, Jas. But, you know I don't do girls. I mean, it's easier to be friends with you, to be one of the group. But girls, they always have been vicious with me." She said with a pained voice.

I got fast to her side and hugged her. "Bella, doing friends wasn't easy for neither of us, but you know what? We found a few people who really see us like we are, and see, we made really good friends, not mere acquaintances meant to be forgotten as soon as our paths don't intersect."

That prompted the beaming smile I love in her face.

"And about fancy places and clothes, just remember who spent so many months in France? Who attended all those frilly art events? Hmm? You are worldly and sophisticated, a lot more than her." she stopped fidgeting. "Besides, you look really good with this new top you were aching to wear." I winked.

With those last words, Bella finally calmed down.

xxx

"No way Edward! Those aren't pimples!" Rose screamed between laughs. We were looking at one of those embarrassing pictures of my awkward years.

Turned out Bella and Rose clicked. Really clicked. After the initial awkward introduction, when Rose eagerly got to shake Bella's hand while Bella blushed, followed by thirteen minutes of silence. Yes, I was counting. Jasper was fast to bring our guests to our couch and Rose, being her usual self, brought some pictures Dad lent her. Well, she asked for a picture album with pictures of all of us in them. Sadly, it was the one from when puberty stricken. Not my best look at all. At least it wasn't the one with the naked baby stuff. Can't believe they loved to picture me bathing! And I let them!

But let's go back to Bella and Rose. As soon as she mentioned the pictures... Boom! You could almost physically see the exact second they clicked.

Bella got eager to see my geeky self, while I tried to hide behind the couch.

But as I was crouched, trying to remain inconspicuous, I noticed how Bella forgot that she just met Rose five minutes ago, and launched herself into a description of the picture she saw. Rose and her have been, since, looking at those pictures and laughing. If it was any other but Bella I would had protested, but seeing her smile... just made my day. And she called me cute. Forget about the times when I wore braces.

"Of course they were. I was fourteen, gangly and, and..."

"Man," Emmett said while scratching the old picture with his nail, "I thought it was dirty."

"Edward, those aren't pimples. Pimples are when you wake up one day and can see clearly the Vesuvius growing on the tip of your nose." Rose pointed.

"Or when you look in the mirror and realize you have a new person growing on your cheek," Jasper added.

"Or worst, when you wake up wondering how the hell you ended with a lump on your forehead only to come to realize it's a giant pimple that even your bangs can't cover! Thank God for homeschooling." Bella said between giggles. Rose high fived her after that.

"Meh. Or you could have tons of smaller pimples for longer periods of time. I was sure my family got stocks on Clearasil after my puberty started." Emmett said before munching on his pizza slice.

I crossed my arms over my chest. "Well, but you can't deny I was awkward. Look at my glasses!"

Bella and Rose rolled their eyes in unison.

"Those were sexy glasses, they gave you some air of..." Rose was out of positive words.

Geekiness?" Because seriously! Aren't we looking at the same pictures?

"No." Bella slapped my hand. "They gave you personality. You were cool with those glasses."

Rose nodded. "Really Edward, you had it easy in your teenage years."

"Hmm," Jasper pointed, "He's still one, you know."

"The only but I find is that your image was kind of androgynous." Emmett was in deep concentration. "Maybe if you weren't so skinny..."

Then everybody, even me, started laughing.

"It came out wrong. I mean, you were 'pretty'."

Jasper snorted but remain quiet.

But Bella had glazed eyes. Hmm, so maybe she found me attractive.

Rose looked at me and winked. "So if you had met him would give him a chance, Bella? Your thirteen-year-old self would give his fourteen-year-old self a chance?" She even wriggled her brows, the evil woman.

Bella was tomato red.

"Maybe."

xxx

After the night success, Bella and Rose really become friends. It was wonderful to see them talk about things I never thought Bella would care about. I mean, Bella doesn't wear makeup, yet, I found her talking over the phone about primer before contouring. Primer? Her face isn't a wall that needs repairing!

She told me it was nice to have someone else to talk about more feminine topics, though I have to admit I'm getting a bit jealous. They spend too much time together! Ok, not that much time, but between classes, studying for exams, projects, I feel like our friendship went to the back burner.

I even had a talk with Emmett, who I thought would be right by my side, but he told me to suck it up, that it was for my benefit. Leaving me more confused. Then he told me in a very serious tone that I have to learn to share.

For now though, I have to'suck it up', as Emmett Dixit.

xxx

BPOV

"Don't you think it's a bit too much?" I was shopping a dress for my date with Edward, Rosalie was nice enough to come with me, and she was showing me one of her favorites stores. It was a new up and coming young designer named 'Zafrina' who looked just a few years older than me and apparently was an old neighbor from Rose.

"Nah. You have a great neck and don't let me start with your cleavage. You have to flaunt it. You know, let it be known you have something going on the rack department."

"And it covers a lot to leave the rest to the imagination," Zafrina added. She noticed how insecure I was about my body and gave me great suggestions about the type of dress perfect for a first date.

"Believe me, he will be speechless the moment he sees you!" Rosalie giggled.

I wondered how she got so confident. We've been talking and it seems to me that her childhood wasn't so different to mine. She was homeschooled too for a while when her father was touring, though she also got the private school experience, like Edward. It seems Peter wanted to keep an eye on her and her brother Royce, whom she told me was studying international business at Oxford. She said her father didn't loose the experiences the had.

"I don't know. I mean, my body kind of resembles one of those models, you know, the ones you find at a mechanic workshop." I stated shrugging my shoulders.

Rose and Zafrina erupted in laughter. "Hun, you put those Kardashians to shame. You're natural!" Rose said between chuckles. "Women pay for a body like yours."

Zafrina was nodding. "There's no need to hide it. You just have to find the right way to show it."

I blushed. I wasn't comfortable showing it.

"It's just... I got boobs really young."

"pshh." Rose dismissed my worries. "Me too. I hated when people stared."

"Oh my God! Me too! I had this sort of acquaintance, Jacob, the son of my Dad's business associate. When we were like twelve, he stared so much that he drooled once!" Really, that boy was so obnoxious. Ugh! And while Dad pushed him to become my friend, once he noticed him staring, he stopped bringing him home. Meanwhile, Zafrina snorted claiming all boys drool at the sight of boobs at twelve... thirteen, sixteen, twenty. Any age.

"Are you kidding me? Royce forbade me from coming to his birthday parties. He said I was embarrassing him!"

we laughed, joking about stupid boys, but it wasn't just boys for me...

"And it got worst: When I finally convinced my parents to let me go to school," I stopped because Zafrina didn't know I was homeschooled. "Middle-school. I was so happy, wearing a nice top and my new jeans. I didn't know there were rumors about me, you know? I was new to most of the kids and the few who met me before, didn't remember how I looked at all. Anyway, there I went happy and eager to make friends. But to my surprise, everybody was looking at me and avoiding to touch me. They even turned to the other side when I walked down the hallway. By lunch, one timid or very brave girl sat with me. She was fidgetting and avoiding eye contact, but she was the first to greet me. Well, she asked me if the rumors were true. I asked her what rumors? Turns out they believe I had a twin and that its body was attached to mine. More precisely, the remains were attached to my chest."

"Noooo!" Rose said, probably knowing where I was going with the story.

"Yep. Then, when I laughed and said of course not, the leader of her group of friends yell them to hold me. Between six girls got my arms and legs and finally, in front of the whole cafeteria, the whole school body, this girl lifted my shirt. Of course, they got a look at my bra. But when the boys clapped and whistled, the girl got so angry she started to call me 'Freak'. So I ran from school that day to never come back."

"Please, tell me they expelled that girl." Zafrina wonder.

"No. Sadly, she was the local reverend's daughter. It was her word, and all her friends, against mine. Besides, I never told my mother, I was so embarrassed." I shook my head. Probably if that happened today, I would kick her ass; but I was so shy then! "The worst part is that my Dad wants me to be friendly to her because we assist to the same college."

xxx

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!
> 
> RL was kicking my ass and I barely had the chance to write. Since last week, I finished a few chapters from my other stories, but I found the time to write a bit from this one. If you were wondering, no, I didn't loose the bet. all because my friend was as busy as me, but we agree that I need to finish it before the year ends. I'm working on it.
> 
> The project that kept me busy is over, so I have more time to write. I don't want to give a date for my next chapter but know that I really plan to get it over before New Year.
> 
> So, tell me what you think. Next will be all Edward and maybe a bit from the ball.


	9. Chapter 8

EPOV

The last days passed so fast... We're just a few days away from the ball. And everybody was getting ready.

First of all, the number of attendees changed as Bella confirmed her mother was coming and surprise, surprise, Esme Platt was coming as my father's date.

While we were all happy that he finally asked her out, and didn't use that feeble excuse of 'helping her to find Chuck', it led to an extremely awkward conversation between my parents that ended with me explaining my mother the current status of Dad's relationship with Esme. Mind you, she wasn't jealous, just protective though it didn't make it less embarrassing to explain if daddy and Miss Esme were having sleepovers. yes, Mom thinks I'm five and she's excessively nosy on my father's affairs.

So with that settled, Mom decided it was better if she came to Seattle earlier. She said it was for business but I knew she was curious about Esme.

And they had dinner together. Yes. The three of them.

Mom was satisfied with what she found, as she proclaimed herself a fan of Esme. Believe me, her input was important for Dad as weird and codependent as it sounds.

Sadly, someone brought to my mother's attention the mess with the leaked picture and now she's planning to stay until she finds out how it went out. At least she behaved because I feared for the health of the weird girl who showed me the picture.

The semester is also coming to an end, but Bella and I found time between our busy schedules to still hang around. Rose and Emmett were now a common presence at our apartment and it was funny because now Jasper isn't so shlumpy. He wears shoes the whole time and changes more frequently his clothes. Perhaps it also has something to do with the other new addition to our group, Miss Alice Platt. With Esme being busy helping Peter to find Chuck and Marcus, Alice who is her niece and her assistant is helping Rose to prepare the wedding. Just the details that can be arranged without a final date settled.

Now Alice isn't what I thought would get Jasper's attention. Maria was one pretty confident woman, aware of her sexuality and wasn't afraid to use it. Alice on the other hand... she's a petite girl with delicate features, like a doll. She's very shy and usually only speaks when asked. She's always dressed to the nines, but her style is more like girly funk while Maria was all to flaunt her body. It's interesting to note that because she's so perfectly primped, Jasper has gotten to change clothes daily, he hid his old Birkenstocks and brought back his better sneakers. Just in case Alice happens to come and drop by... like now.

"Hmm, good evening Edward. Rosalie asked me to leave this for Bella." Alice handed me a shoe box. "These are for her to practice. There's also this." She took out a little plastic bag. "There's a roll of double-sided tape and these are gel pads, to help with the soles of her feet..." then Alice noticed my shocked face. What did she expect? Those things looked like dead fishes and double sided tape?

"Oh, sorry. I'm sure Bella knows what to do with the pads." She closed her bag and then again, she was in 'business mode'. "Well, I have to go. There are two more contractors I have to reach. Did you know that your father offered your house for the wedding? We need to take measures and made sure there's enough room for a dance floor so we can get an estimate." She waved to someone behind me. "It's good to see you, Jasper." And she turned on her heels, just in time to avoid the mess Jasper did when he dropped the books he was carrying.

"Bye Alice!" He yelled.

"She didn't hear you." I closed the door and had to held myself from the door. Jasper was wearing a shirt! And his hair was styled! "Hmm, what is with the clothes and new look?"

"I don't know what are you talking about." He replied, trying to sound indifferent, but I knew better.

"It doesn't have anything to do with a certain Miss Alice Platt coming to deliver a package for Bella?" I said waving the box and the plastic bag.

"Oh, no. Rosalie mentioned that someone may stop by to drop something for Bella. So I just made sure to be at home. You know, Bella had a test and..."

"Yeah, right." Denial wasn't just a river.

"And before I forget, your mother called. She wants to be sure Bella and her mother know about the spa appointment. She wants all the girls to get ready together."

"Thanks, Jasper."

Liar, liar, pants on fire.

My mother called yesterday and she left a message. We all heard it together when we came back so it wasn't news for me. Well, for no one because Bella heard it too. I guess everything is valid to change the topic and avoid my teasing, but then, when I'm going to get my retribution from all the teasing he did to me before?

When he answered me with a huff and slammed his door closed, I knew I have to tone down my teasing. After all, he helped me to choose my gift for Bella. When we went to pick my tux from the cleaner, I wanted to buy her a corsage and Jasper enlightened me on the appropriate present. Ok, he slapped my shoulder and grumped 'It's not prom, jackass! You have to look good in front of Renee and Elizabeth too. Buy her jewelry.'

So, I followed his advice, and with Tanya's help, I found a beautiful but simple bracelet. Tanya was adamant Bella didn't need something extravagant and she knew the shade of her dress.

So, now I'm ready for our date. Let's hope everything goes as I planned it.

xxx

BPOV

"Mine well done." Yummy, yummy.

We are having a picnic at the roof garden, previous to the grand date. Why? You may ask. Well, there are a lot of reasons. We are almost over with college work, and we all felt we needed a breath before our last test; then naturally is the anxiety for our date. Jasper swears we are driving him crazy, but I feel he just says that to tease us. Also, Rosalie is here to give one more pep talk. She quickly became a very dear friend, one with I can share all my crazy ideas and insecurities. Sure, Edward and Jasper always listen, but sometimes a girl needs another girl's point of view, you know?

And last, but not least, Emmett's birthday is coming. Rosalie is taking him to Hawaii, so we're having this little shindig before the real 'party' happens.

"Here, take it." Jasper slid the delicious meat to my plate. "Now, please, ask around if anyone wants something else. I'm starving and didn't have the chance to cook my food."

"Sure." I turned around to see the others rolling their eyes.

"No thanks!" They yelled in unison.

Right. Jasper was moody. If he was a girl, I would say PMSing.

Jasper had changed a lot during the last days. His usual joking around decreased and he's most of the time quiet or locked inside his room.

Maybe is the addition of Rose and Emmett to our group or the stress of finals. Edward thinks Jasper has a crush on Esme's niece. But really, Alice? From the pictures I've seen, she the opposite of Jasper's taste. Maria was overly sexy, and his high school girlfriends were of the hippie kind. Alice is... proper. Sure, she has an eccentric fashion sense, but she's always formal. Maybe is the contrary and she makes Jasper feel uncomfortable. Anyway, I sat with him to try to cheer him up.

"You know, there's a bowl of mac and cheese on the table." I offered.

"Thanks." He grumbled. "Sorry, Bella. I know I've been a bit grumpy..."

"A bit?" I retorted.

"Ok, a lot." He smiled. "I feel like a jerk. I'm not very good with change, and well, first we have Satan and Emmett joining us." I shook my head at his name for Rose, "Then Edward finally found the balls to ask you out."

"Oh, Jasper! We don't know what is going to hap..."

"Shh. I know you both like each other. Trust me. But if you finally become a couple, well, I'll be lonely. I know it's selfish. And despite my aversion to change, you don't have an idea of how happy I am for you two."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves."

"Oh, no! If he messes up with your date I'm gonna kick his ass. This was a long time coming."

I hugged him and made the mistake of talking in a loud voice. "You know we still love you!"

You know tose times when you say something embarrassing, but two seconds earlier everything gets quiet and the only sound is your voice and everybody hears you? Well, it just happened.

We forgot to bring a speaker, so we didn't have music. Then Rosalie was busy adding fixings to her burger. Emmett and Edward were horsing around.

And the door to the roof garden opened to give make way to our old lady neighbors. Whom saw me hugging Jasper and claiming my love to him. Sure, it was platonic, but still. With those three, you never know.

"What is going on here?" Mrs. Van der Meeren asked like we owed her an explanation.

But looking around... Rosalie's mouth was stuffed with fries, dripping catsup. Not a very becoming look for a lady, I'm sure. Lest with their appalling opinion on Rose. Emmett had Edward in a headlock while Edward was trying to tickle him. And I was hugging Jasper... probably what she considered an orgy. Insert eye roll.

"You!" she went over Rose, who quickly swallowed the rest of her fries. "These kids were always so well behaved."

Now if I learn anything about Rose is that she is never intimidated but this time I hoped she reigned her answers.

"You have those two fighting for your love." Said meek Mrs. jones. "In other circumstances, I would find it so romantic."

"Fighting?" Emmett chuckled, quitting his hold on Edward. "We are only playing, we are best buddies."

Edward was nodding. "Childhood buddies, indeed."

Rosalie pouted. "Oh, don't tell me you believe the gossip those magazines publish?" she really sounded scandalized. "We all know how they take one little incident and blow it out of proportion." She scrunched her nose in distaste. "Imagine that they dared to assume I was engaged to Edward when everybody knows my heart belongs to Emmett since we were fifteen." She walked slowly to sit on Emmett's lap.

That simple gesture left our nosy neighbors shocked, mouth agape, and hiding behind Mrs. Weinstead who is always distracted and the last one to react.

May I say that she became my hero? She shut up those ladies and she did it with confidence, not minding the ketchup smeared around her mouth. I really need to improve my attitude.

"We are celebrating my birthday. There's plenty of food if you want to join us." Emmett offered, making me want to slap him.

"Oh, no." The three ladies backtracked. "We were only bringing you cookies." Mrs. Weinstead tried to justify their presence.

"Thank you. They seem delicious." Jasper took the plate from her hands, while they turned around and left.

"That was the lamest excuse! They've been hounding on us for days!" Rose shook her head. "One of them asked if she could see my ring the other day. Really, they need to find a hobby."

Atta girl! Rose is my new hero. I so need her advice for tomorrow.

xxx

"What do you think? French tips or soft pink?" Esme waved the nail polish to choose which one to use tonight.

"Hmm, pale pink?" I really didn't care.

Usually, a day at the spa led to relaxation and beautification. But not today.

The air was so tense the whole morning, all because my mother and Elizabeth had some sort of stare off the minute I introduced Mom to her. Esme's idle chat and my crazy comments didn't help, so I poured mimosas to them like there was no tomorrow. Alcohol should ease the tension, right?

"Don't worry Bella." Esme tried to sooth me.

But it was useless. Mom and Elizabeth were kind of fake-smiling to each other all the way over the spa. It was like they were having a conversation just with their eyes, sizing the other.

"I'm sure they're going to work their differences. It's just you're the most precious gift to your mother, as Edward is from Elizabeth."

"So? Shouldn't they be friendly towards the other?"

Esme smiled. "This is t your first date ever, right?"

I nodded, hoping to not find pity in her eyes. There wasn't.

"Well, from what I heard, it's the same for Edward. Whatever he did before, Elizabeth isn't aware. Though I don't think he ever was a ladies man. He seems very shy."

That... made me snort.

"Not a ladies man, sure. I struggle to keep the girls away from him. He hates the attention now, but I'm not sure if it was always the same. And he's not shy."

Esme giggled. "He is. You are just used to him." She handed the pale pink nail polish to the young esthetician and relaxed on her lounger. I did the same.

"No, he's just very private. Esme," I turned to look at her before they started working with our hair, "Elizabeth was nice to me before, do you think is going to change?"

"Not at all! Bella this is some kind of 'if your kid hurts mine' struggle. I'm pretty sure your mother has some of the same traits Elizabeth has, and that's why clashed. Though your mother seems very calm not controlling at all."

"She is unless it's about me." And now I think why Mom got that face.

Suddenly, the sound of laughter made me turn my head. My mother and Elizabeth came back, arm in arm, laughing their asses off! How much alcohol was in those mimosas?

"Yeah, I have two left feet too." Mom was chuckling. "So Charlie is forced to dance with Bella always. I just watch them from the sides."

"Carlisle obviously is a good dancer, and Edward inherited his grace, but he got my bad temper and he never dances!" They cackled. "But I'm sure tonight he's going to make an exception." Both look at me, making me blush.

"Esme, I think we just got into the twilight zone."

"And the day is just beginning."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! This is just the previous before the ball.
> 
> I'm way behind answering your reviews (and posting) so I decided to post this part now and continue tomorrow answering, hoping to add the chapter about the ball over the weekend.
> 
> I'm sorry for going so slow with this story :(


	10. Chapter 9

Esme POV

The lights were dimmed, just to the perfect proportion of darkness to let the podium shine, but not so dark so people could still enjoy the rest of the dinner. Functions like this were my means of living. Surely, I could appreciate the professionalism with which everything was set up. From the layout of the tables to the way the band stood on a corner.

"And now I welcome our first speaker of the night, Dr. Joham Ladell." The pompous man who was the chief of the board introduced an older man who clearly found himself better suited to work behind a microscope than to speaking on an occasion like this. I clapped more enthusiastically as if it would cheer him on.

"Good evening. I've been appointed to share with you the advances in the technique to detect earlier tumors..."

And he lost us. Well, the majority who wasn't used to medical terms.

I glanced around our table instead. To my right, Renee Higginbotham was trying to follow the speech with a smile. She certainly surprised me. At first, with her bohemian clothes and faraway look, she was the embodiment of a painter, lost in her world. That's until one realize there's a strong, determined woman under the ditzy facade. I also feared for her clothes choice. Young Edward was also worried, he mentioned she's usually in jeans or comfy stained clothes. Alas, she was wearing a stunning mauve dress that complimented her coloring. Clearly, she knew her way into this kind of formal parties.

She was still giving glances at Bella and Edward, who were whispering by her side. Oh, to be young and in love! I could hardly believe those two hadn't realized how they are meant to be together. Well, they're inexperienced. And had other worries, like college. Just yesterday Bella mentioned how she feared tonight's date was causing a strain in her parents' marriage. Silly girl.

Next to them, there's an empty space followed by the patriarch of the family, Alistair Cullen. He's another one that surprised me, he's a riot but now he was fighting sleep and losing. Whenever his eyes closed, Carlisle elbowed him causing him to mutter 'I'm not sleeping. I'm thinking with my eyes closed.' Cue giggles from me. They're cute.

Then, there's Carlisle. I never planned on meeting him. Oh, well.

I'm used to working with celebrities. I never got overwhelmed on dazed by their status. So when Rosalie Hale came to me, I just look at another normal day at work. Maybe this one I bragged to my sister. She had a crush on Chuck Eagles when she was a teenager, and having the remote chance for me of meeting him made her squeal like she was thirteen again.

Then Peter Hale got sick, I truly felt for the family. So when Rosalie talked to me about her father plan's to make amends I offered my help. Dad had this little private investigations agency where he let me help from time to time so I have experience in such matters. Besides, I loved to reunite loved ones. This was giving me the chance to break the monotony of dealing with caterers and suppliers.

Then I met Carlisle. I swear I wasn't looking for something, hell, I don't know if we can have something. But he was so chivalrous, so nice and helpful. It doesn't hurt that he's so handsome. Pictures on magazines don't make him justice. The only 'but' was that he's still very close to his ex. And that, my friends, is what stops me from moving forward. When he mentioned Elizabeth wanted to meet me I was about to cancel our date. I mean, she's this gorgeous woman who is pretty confident successful in every venture she starts. How can I compare to her?

Of course, we had dinner and it was a wonderful experience. She is really nice, making difficult to hate her, and most of the night, she acted more like a sibling than an ex-lover. Still...

The clapping around me brought me back from my musings. Now it was time for Elizabeth's speech.

"Good evening, friends. Let's say one day you wake up and suddenly feel a tingle behind the bridge of your nose. Just a tingle and it doesn't last for long. You would probably discard it and forget it ever happened. But you shouldn't. Because then, it could worsen and then you'll feel headaches and feel like your eyes are pressing your brain, and then you'll find your body isn't moving as soon as you send the order."

She stood in all her stunning glory, speaking about how the honored Josephine Cullen discovered she had a brain tumor. A very sad story, that soon had every person teary eyed.

And I feel terrible for still feeling intimidated by her.

Soon, she finished and was back to our table, straight to Carlisle's arms. Sure he was comforting her, but somehow, I still felt that bout of jealousy. I really need to reign my insecurities. Oh, well the night is young.

x

EPOV

"How come I never met your grandpa?" Bella said from my shoulder.

Yeah! I finally have Bella between my arms in more than a friendly hug. Ok, were just dancing. But I never held her so close like I'm doing right now. And if everything goes according to the plan and the stars align, by the end of the night I'll get a kiss and make her my girlfriend. Yes, only first base, but this is sweet innocent Bella Swan. I'm not going to ruin my chance with her because my raging hormones are driving me crazy. And trust me, since I saw her in this dress I'm fighting the need to kiss her senseless and loose my virgin status.

Ouch! She stepped on my toe. But she knows how to dance!

"Hey! You zoned out."

"Sorry. I was thinking how utterly exquisite you look tonight."

She blushed. "So your grandpa..."

See, she doesn't know how to take a compliment. "Meh, the old man hates planes so we are the ones to come to visit him."

"Meh, the old man hates planes so we are the ones to come to visit him."

"He's a riot."

A riot. The man prides himself on teasing me. Well, Dad too, but he's on Esmeland and doesn't notice anything.

Like while we were in the limo on our way here...

Mind you, Renee and Mom were chatting between them as Dad was with Esme. Rude, I know. Grandpa was enthralled telling Bella about my toddler adventures.

"And there he was. A chubby little thing kicking the water on his giant lifesaver with a plastic palm tree to offer shade. Poor thing got sunburned even with a hat. Hee, hee. My sweet Josephine cuddled him and covered him with sunblock cream."

"Do you have pictures"

"Of course I have!" The old man look through his phone. Why wasn't he technologically impaired like Dad?

"Aww!" Bella cooed.

Oh, that picture! I was wearing a hideous white bathing suit matching my white hat with a blue bow, the only trace of manliness in the whole outfit.

"My mom thought the hat was 'edgy'" I made air quotes. It was ridiculous!

"It was Versace!" Mom yelled from the back. Wasn't she talking to Renee? Now that picture was passed and everybody cooed and ahhed.

"Bella had something similar, but in pink." Renee looked through her phone pictures and showed the phone to Mom. "Here Charlie is holding her."

"Oh, what a mane! I wish I had my hair like him."

"I know! We didn't meet in the best circumstances. We were both recovering." Renee had a wistful smile. "He was hiding from the world, and because of his therapy, he decided to cut his hair and beard every time he reached a breakthrough. You should see him now, he's only sporting a mustache."

Bella added in hushed whispers. "He shaved his goatee when he relented and let me go to live in the dorms."

I barely had a chance to see the picture, because as soon as I said 'Aww!' Bella took the phone away, but I managed to see where she got her beautiful hair. Though you barely could see Charlie's face. Between the beard and his aviator glasses, he was completely covered.

"Hey! You saw mine."

"Kids! Not here!" Grandpa yelled and winked to Bella.

The song changed, and its fast pace made me release Bella.

Still, we kept dancing. There was no way we would go back with the old people sitting on our table to watch if Dad finally gets Esme to dance with him. It's pretty awkward. So I rejoiced on the pleasure of dancing with Bella. Well, besides to keep her from the wandering eye of the guy on the Royston's table. That guy always is trying to sink his teeth on beautiful ladies like Bella, though usually I don't care and said ladies are more than willing to let him. But not tonight. Not with Bella.

Again, the music changed to a romantic song and I held Bella close, as we swayed to the music. My mother mentioned that this ballroom had a hidden balcony right behind where the band was situated, so I swayed with Bella in said direction.

The other couples were closing to the center of the dance floor so it was easy.

I twirled Bella through an arch and a table with drinks, probably from the band. Once we passed it I noticed Renee discreetly holding a door open. Ah, so that's why she was in cahoots with my mother. But now I could see how those two managed to clear my way to the balcony.

'Only you, can make all this world seem right'

Yeah! The band started to play the perfect song. This is my chance...

"Only you can make the darkness bright" I sang looking into her eyes.

"Only you, and you alone" Bella was blushing, I swear she looked like a fairytale princess!

"can thrill me like you do

And fill my heart with love for only you"

The exit to the balcony was covered by a heavy curtain that mysteriously was lifted. I didn't miss my chance. I held Bella closer as we spun our way to the other side of the curtain. Again, it mysteriously got down.

"Oh, Bella..." I swayed and held her closer. Her precious aroma of flowers and sunshine intoxicating me.

"Edward..."

I guess it was time.

I looked at her and lifted her chin with one hand while I gently lifted the other to her neck. Her eyes got bigger and dazed, and a sigh erupted from her chest.

"You don't know how long I've waited to kiss you. May I?"

She nodded and stood on her toes to get closer.

Slowly, I got my face down, my lips eager to touch hers.

And I finally did it. It was a soft peck, followed by a more passionate kiss.

I swiftly deepened the kiss and was about to use my tongue when the impossible happened.

Someone pulled me from Bella.

"Get out of here! This is a private room!"

xxx

BPOV

Someone up there must really hate me. Really.

I was having the time of my life, dancing with Edward as if we were alone in the ballroom. Somehow we drifted to a closed area, that led to a balcony. And that's when it happened... I got my first kiss! And it was from Edward!

But it's just my luck to have a taste of happiness to be followed by misery.

A giant behemoth of a man pulled Edward from my side and started to yell at him. The guy was wearing a suit with sunglasses and if those traits didn't scream 'bodyguard', the gun hidden in the waistband of his pants and the radio where he was muttering instructions did.

Edward was wondering what was his problem when I realized at the edge of the balcony a man was slipping on his zipper and a blond woman was fixing her dress. A very young woman to the very old man. Hmm...

To add to the chaos, Elizabeth Masen and my mother irrupted glaring to the bodyguard. I've got to say, Elizabeth had a way to put the bodyguard in his place so he lost his hold on Edward. My mother winked at me, coming to pull me outside.

"Baby, it's better if you stay with Carlisle for a while. Show him your moves." She patted my arm.

Carlisle was waiting behind the curtain, despite the nervous smile he was sporting, he was nice to ask me to dance to the other side of the room.

"Is Edward fine?"

"Well, I think so. As soon as Elizabeth came into the room she seemed to take control. Carlisle, what happened?"

"Hmm, I have the suspicion that someone was thinking about taking advantage of the privacy that balcony offered." He had his hand on the back of his neck, a nervous trait that Edward shared with him. "I'm not sure, but I think that's one of the big donors, probably the husband of that lady over there." He pointed to an elegant woman who was walking around clearly looking for someone.

"So, shall we dance?" Carlisle asked.

"Sure." What else could I do?


	11. Chapter 10

EPOV

Dread. Yeah, everywhere I go all I can feel is dread. Did I break a mirror and I didn't notice? Walked under a ladder? Perhaps a black cat?

My streak of bad luck didn't culminate on Saturday, after the humongous humiliation I suffered after I kissed Bella. No, sir. Given the circumstances, Bella spent the rest of the weekend with her mother; meaning I only had the chance to talk to her until today at our first class. Yet, we didn't talk about Saturday's night events because our dear professor gave us the sad news that the whole class failed the last test. Well, not 'fail' like we had zero right answers, but he said we didn't perform to our usual standards. He offered us a deal, to the whole class. We could repeat the test, but to gain the right to do it and keep the higher score we had to present him with a model of one of our favorite inventors and his creations. Better, if we come with something really creative, he would add a few points to our score. He was kind enough to let us chose our partners

So we agreed to discuss our date and our possible future after we dealt with this little issue. Oh, right. Because we have until Friday to come with our project. The silver lining is we passed our other subjects with excellent grades. So this little project is the only thing we have to do for college.

Bella had a bout of inspiration and decided to crochet a model of Nikola Tesla, with a fluorescent light in one hand and an x-ray photograph on the other which I have to create. So that's we are here in the little town of Forks, at her parents' house. Collecting materials. We called Renee, but she was out on an errand but she told Bella where the spare key was hidden. And while Bella is busy rummaging through old boxes through the attic, I'm sitting with a pad supposedly sketching my part, but in reality, I'm still ruminating the events of the last days.

"Hold this," Bella said, giving me a plastic bag with various sets of needles. I could had used one to stab that bodyguard, you know.

I still remember how it felt to be lifted like I weighed nothing. I mean, he was a bit taller but if I wasn't so distracted I could have fought him. Oh, yeah. I still remember it...

"This is a private area."

"That I reserved, you moron." The moron murmured something to his radio while I turned to made sure Bella was fine. I didn't reserve it per se, but if I knew my mother she only encouraged me to come here after she was absolutely sure it was ok. Then I heard steps. Uh, oh. It was my mother! Damn, I sound like a pansy.

"May I ask what are you doing here?" She directed her menacing glare to the flushed bodyguard. Clearly, I need to learn how to walk and instill authority like mom.

"This is a private area and... and..."

"You have no authorization to be in here, as I certainly discussed with the staff and the organizers." Mom was tapping her foot to the floor while scolding the ashamed bodyguard. Meanwhile, Renee took Bella outside.

Mom turned to the back where she found the cause of the presence of the bodyguard.

"Judge Sanders! And... Kate?"

Talk about a blast from the past! Mom whispered something to Renee who was back... alone and she started to fumble with the plants surrounding the balcony.

"Keep an eye on the blond. Your boss will thank you later." Mom ordered to the mute bodyguard as she sashayed her way to the not-embarrassed-at-all couple.

"Kate, we keep meeting like this."

Kate lifted her face and gave Mom a smug smirk. While at first look she still resembled that young girl from years ago, time surely hardened her features. The cruelty of her scowl showed the wrinkles around her mouth and her eyes. Time wasn't gentle to her. How did she fool me?

"Elizabeth," she muttered and then she turned to me. "My, my. Look how handsome you turned out, Edward. I should have to keep in touch with you all these years."

The fact that Kate wasn't showing an ounce of shame, confused Judge Sanders.

"Do you met before?"

"Oh, yeah. You should be careful with this one. She likes to keep mementos of occasions like this." My mother told him.

"Here!" Renee found a camera in between the twigs of a bush. Kate just stomped her feet but didn't seem too frazzled. She was completely sure her indiscretion would go unpunished, though something on my mother's eyes told me the contrary.

Judge Sanders paled. He also was duped by a professional.

"Err, hmm, well, I think it will be better if we forgot what happened here..."

"Oh, no." My mother uttered. "Let's have a few words. It's not like Kate is going to leave the area."

The bodyguard stood covering Kate's exit and acting all confident again.

Renee had the same devious smile as my other and took my arm.

"Edward, why don't we dance for a while? You have to tell me how it went before the interruptions."

Half an hour later, my mother was back at our table, smiling like the cat that got the canary. She simply stated that now Judge Sanders became the biggest supporter of the charity and would help to set another scholarship. She never told me what she did to Kate but she assured me she would never bother me again.

xxx

"Edward! Wake up!" Bella was nudging me with her arm. She had a box full of different kinds of paper, glitter, cardboard, bottles of glue, and scissors. "This may come useful. It's from when I was little."

She dumped the box, walked back to a wooden rack and climbed to the highest shelf.

"I can't reach the last box."

I stood up and lifted her, so her hands could reach it but it was still too high for her. I stood on the tip of my toes and she finally could push it with the tip of her fingers. The box fell with a thud.

"I don't remember this one." She pulled the x-acto knife and opened it carefully.

At the top, there was a picture album, covered in dust. She was fast to take it before I did, and opened it.

"Oh, shit." She yelped.

I didn't have a chance to give it a glance as she passed the pages fast, scaring me with the scowl on her face. I turned to look at the other contents of the box, pulling a spandex light blue suit, exactly like one my dad used to...

Suddenly Bella dropped the album and wailed. "Liar, despicable liars!" And she ran out of the attic.

Thinking it would be best if I let her calm down, after all, I got the car keys and she couldn't leave without me, I decided to look at the album that caused her ire.

Oh, shit indeed. Picture after picture showed that Charlie Higginbotham, ahem, apparently neé Charlie Swan, was the elusive Chuck Eagles we were looking for.

xxx

Two minutes later, I walked down the stairs, hoping to find Bella still at home. But what I found was Renee crying at the door.

"She found out, right?"

I still had the album in my hands, nodding I had to ask her. "Why Renee? Why did you keep this from her? This is the real reason why you never wanted Charlie to know we were friends, right? It wasn't that crap about he protecting her against men."

Renee sobbed loudly. "I told him we have to tell her, you don't have an idea of how much I insisted. How many times I tried and set it up so she would find out. But not like this." She blew her nose with a tissue and pleaded to me. "Please, find her! I don't want her to be alone."

Like she had to ask me twice.

Still, she was calm enough to help me to get our materials in the trunk of the car, besides the box with Charlie's mementos from when he was a Dazzling Proximity's member.

She pointed where Bella liked to go to think and I left.

xxx

As Renee told me, Bella was sitting at the edge of a little bridge over a stream, kicking her legs to the air.

"Have I told you why my last name is Swan while my parents are Higginbotham?" She didn't turn to look at me.

"Nope." I sat beside her.

"It was because of my grandparents, the Swans. I met them occasionally while growing up, spending one week of summer at their apartment in Boston. They were kind of rich. It never mattered to me, because they had the time and patience to play with me or bring me interesting movies to watch. I enjoyed the time spent with them." She sighed. "Grandpa died when I was nine. By then, I already knew they disowned Dad but no one ever explained why. Until my grandmother explained to me that he was extremely wild and irresponsible so they disowned him for his own good. So when Dad married Mom he took her last name."

Bella took a rock and threw it into the stream under the bridge.

"But after she died I found out that they left everything they owned to me, they only had one condition. I was supposed to be Swan should Dad had behaved properly, so given that I was a respectful member of society, all they asked me was to change my last name to Swan, to keep the name alive."

She threw another rock.

"At first, I didn't want to. But Mom convinced me to do it, she said it was to respect their last wish."

I nodded and gave her another rock.

"But now, now I understand why they were ashamed of him."

Pluck, pluck. Another rock went to the water.

"You know what bothers me the most? That he kept me away from the world, not because he was worried about my safety, but because he feared I found the truth."

It seems like Charlie Swan has a lot explaining to do.


	12. 11

EPOV

x

After a very tense week, finally it was Friday. Friday at noon, just after we delivered our final project and went for a snack. A part of me was overjoyed: We did finish on time to hand it to our professor's excited hands. We earned the best grade in the whole class, but when I recalled the reason why it also earned us exemption on the test...

After finding her father's real identity, Bella decided to cut all her ties to her parents and focused in our project. Me, being the stupid lovesick enabler fool that I was for her, followed her cues and called Renee to explain Bella was fine just not in the mood to talk to them. Then, we buried ourselves into work, any mention of someone with the last name 'Higginbotham' forbidden. Jasper, after hearing the story, insisted that Bella needed to talk to them. Even if it was to tell them to go and fuck themselves and show her anger, but even he stopped bothering Bella when she threatened to tell Rosalie about his crush on Alice. Clearly, I made a mistake by not betting I was right about Jasper.

"Hey!" Bella's voice brought me back from my reminiscences.

"They didn't have Worcestershire sauce." Bella was back from the cafeteria, french fries in hand. Right, my almost girlfriend loved to put strange things in her fries. "Well, jalapeño's sauce with ketchup will do."

I told you. Strangely enough, some of those combinations were really tasty.

Relationship wise, we were at an impasse: after spending the whole first day crying for her parents, that night, before going to sleep, she came into my room. There she stood, with her sad eyes and Hello Kitty pj's. She walked up to me and she kissed me. God, what a kiss! Then she asked me to give her the rest of the week to settle her family affairs, but on Saturday she expected a wonderful date to compensate for the mishap at the ball. She just needed a few days to come to terms with Charlie's past and lies, but she really wanted a repeat of Saturday night. Hence, the almost-girlfriend status.

"What time did Jane say to come?" I asked.

In order to show her family she was breaking ties, and honestly, because she knew the dorm would be the first place Charlie would look out for her, she decided to explain the recent events to her equally confused ex-roommate, Jane. She was having a few problems of her own: seems that coming out of the closet with her image-driven parents wasn't easy. So when Bella called her and heard Jane's woes, she didn't want to burden Jane with random visits from Charlie. Jane had enough on her plate at the moment.

"I think in about ten minutes. She promised to text me as soon as she gets back. I can't remember which test she said she was having." She told me as she chewed on her jalapeño/ketchup covered fry.

"And how much are you going to explain?"

"Not everything, I mean, I don't want the world aware of Dad's real identity. I still want to keep my privacy, thank you very much. I just going to say that we had a fight and aren't on speaking terms. I also texted him to let him know I won't be living in the dorms and to not bother Jane for my whereabouts since I wasn't telling her."

"Did he answer?"

"Yeah," She looked so sad, "he mentioned Mom also left the house. But I don't know if it's a set up to make me call him or Mom."

When I called Renee, she mentioned she was planning on stay in Seattle for a while. Not only she was worried about Bella but angry at Charlie because he still didn't see the error in his ways. Remembering how she was looking at Dad while we were having dinner at the ball, I now understand. She really wanted to tell Bella, worst knowing Bella was close to me but who knows what she promised to Charlie. Well, now both have time to think about their actions.

xxx

Jane kept their bedroom just like when Bella still slept here, which I found interesting. Not that Bella filled the room with personal things, but her poster with a smiling sloth was still hanging on her side of the room along with her 'Lord of the rings' banner.

"So I'm officially moving." Bella finished and exhaled. Uh? I lost most of her explanation to Jane!

"I wish I had your guts. Mom is pestering me to join her old fraternity, she thinks my liking of women is just a phase." Jane said shaking her head. Then she turned to me. "So, you finally found your balls and asked her out?"

"Uhm..." I pulled my hair and blushed.

"Jane! I told you he gets nervous." Bella giggled, elbowing Jane lightly.

"But your father doesn't know." Jane pointed to Bella with a smile.

"Of course not! Are kidding me? He would send me to a convent. My mother knows, though."

Jane nodded, sometimes I forgot that while they weren't really close, they were all the other had when we all started college.

"My Dad is the one understanding. Maybe we could sit our parents together to have a talk, let's see if they bring some sense to the others." Jane stood up. "So, are we going to pack? Are you going to come for your things or leave them here for a while?"

"I think we can pack and take a couple of boxes today. Tomorrow I'll bring Jasper to help us too."

I took that as my cue to leave so I could get the cardboard boxes in the trunk of my car. I left them to talk and start packaging. So when I got out of the room I found a tall girl with glasses looking at the door. Because I never saw her before, I thought it was one of Jane's friends.

"Hmm, excuse me. Do you know an Isabella Higginbotham?" She asked me in a throaty voice. This is when my spidey senses kicked.

The girl looked younger than me, with tons of wrong-applied make-up. She was wearing a tight top and what I usually would consider a bandana was taking the place of a skirt. This girl was trying too much and ended looking so bad... and she was asking for Bella. But if she met her before, she probably should know the changes on her last name. She shook her hand in front of my face to gert my attention. Oh, right. I was taking too long to answer.

"Hmm, she used to live here, but you know, the semester is over. The majority of the students are already home. Why don't you come when the next one begins?"

She pouted and hummed like she was thinking of an answer. A gesture that seemed fake.

"Oh, well. But you know her, right?" She put her hand on my shoulder. "I mean, you've seen her around. I don't have the wrong address. Maybe we can go out for a coffee while you tell me what you know about her. We come from the same town but we lost contact. You know, with her being a brain and skipping grades. I'm sure you are full of stories about her college adventures." Now she was licking her lips.

Eww!

I noticed the door of the dorm slightly open and I could swear Bella and Jane were listening.

"Sorry, but I'm a bit busy right now." I carefully took a step back and took her hand out of my body.

"Oh! It's just that... This is my first year, and I don't know many people around here." Now she was pushing it. "And her father asked mine, as a personal favor, to check on her. By the way, my name is Angie."

Do you remember that crazy robot with flailing arms screaming 'Danger Will Robinson!' Well, I was sure Bella and Jane were exactly like that behind the door. This was the infamous bully Angela Webber, and apparently, she was desperate for male company.

"Right, well, good luck Angie." I somehow bypassed her and trotted to the stairs.

"Wait, wait!"

Oh, no. I turned around but kept making my way down, not wanting to be excessively rude.

"You didn't give me your number. Or your name." She was way behind because of the bandana, sorry, skirt and a pair of high heels. Really, who wears those for school?

"Sorry! I'm already late. See you!"

Finally, I was at the door. I opened it and jumped out quickly, running to my car but hiding behind it. Surely enough, two minutes later the girl was walking looking for me. Once she passed and turned around another building, I got the box from the trunk and made my way upstairs. I found a furious Bella and a giggling Jane.

"Gosh! That girl doesn't know the meaning of subtlety. And this is the reverend's daughter? Classic!" Jane was laughing now.

"She's the devil!" Bella grumbled.

"No, she's not. She's just a ridiculous girl who's taking advantage of living outside her parent's watch." Jane shook her head. "To be honest, I've never seen her before."

"Me neither. What are the chances that we meet her again? She won't be sharing classes with us." I tried to calm Bella.

"Oh, no. But this means Dad sent her to check on me."

"Maybe he asked her before your fight." Jane wasn't aware of the complete story, but she had a good point. I don't believe Charlie wanted to antagonize Bella anymore.

xxxx

"So, are you ready to make it official?" I was driving us back to the apartment.

"Sure. Next Monday, we are going to let the school know we won't be in need of the dorm." Bella smiled. "I was worried about leaving Jane to deal with a new roomie. But I'm so glad she's moving out too. She found a job."

"Really? So that's why she wasn't wearing black and with that weird make-up?" Really, Jane was the epitome of 'goth girl'.

"Yep. One aunt moved near and offered her a little apartment at her basement. Then she found a job as a waitress after breaking up with her girlfriend, you know, a complete change of scenery." She was busy texting over her phone. "Could you, please, turn to the left on the next street?"

"Sure."

"I want to go to your father's house."

"Okay, but I don't know his plans. But Tanya is probably there..."

"Don't worry. I know he's there. You know what bothers me the most about seeing Angela? That she was looking out for me because Dad asked her. So..."

"So?"

"So, I'm going to tell your father and Esme that we found Chuck Eagles. Suck it, Dad!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next, the reactions about Charlie's true identity, and the date ;)


	13. Chapter 12

Last time in Clarity...

"I want to go to your father's house."

"Okay, but I don't know his plans. But Tanya is probably there..."

"Don't worry. I know he's there. You know what bothers me the most about seeing Angela? That she was looking out for me because Dad asked her. So..."

"So?"

"So, I'm going to tell your father and Esme that we found Chuck Eagles. Suck it, Dad!"

EPOV

When got inside dad's home, we found him, Tanya and Esme having coffee at the dining room. The table was covered with pictures and papers.

"Bella! It's been so long." Tanya ran to hug her. I think she noticed the turmoil inside my girlfriend and Tanya was one to offer cuddles when needed. It was a shame she never had kids, she would have made a wonderful mother.

"Miss Tanya." Bella hugged her back.

Me... I was forgotten.

"Hey, Dad! Esme." I waved in their direction.

"I made a yummy cheesecake. Do you want some?" Tanya finally noticed me but she didn't release Bella from her hold. "There's coffee too. Miss Platt brought us a lot of pictures and we're giving them a look."

xxx

"Well, Carlisle, Esme. Hmm, we found Chuck Eagles."

Esme gasped and smiled, Dad just looked at her with a blank face.

"Really? Because Esme found a toothless old man in Maine who claimed to be Chuck, only the man was a lot older." Dad said laughing, probably the story was pretty funny but in these circumstances, we weren't in the mood to hear it.

"Yeah. It came recently to my attention that he's been living in a little town four hours from here." Bella began to swing back and front on the soles of her feet. Another nervous habit of hers.

"He must've been living in seclusion! That's why I didn't find him."

But Bella cut Esme's words. "Chuck Eagles changed his name due to certain family conflicts. He changed his last name again when he married." Then Bella turned her face to Dad. "Chuck Eagles is my father."

Esme just stood open mouthed, Tanya's brows almost left her face. But Dad, he went from astonishment to anger to see Bella from head to toe and finally some kind of acknowledgment of her features.

"But you didn't know?" This could be a matter of contention. See, whenever I meet new friends and brought them home, Dad set some sort of test to see if they wanted to be my friends or really wanted to meet the star. You know, with those little mishaps we had to become cautious. Well, Bella passed it with flying colors because she never was interested in Dazzling Proximity. But now Dad had doubts. And he knows how to hold a grudge.

"Nope. We just found out on Monday." I told him, loud and clear. He needed to understand that Bella was completely innocent in this mess.

"By accident," Bella said in a low voice. She still couldn't believe how her parents keep that little tidbit of information from her.

Dad was equally surprised.

"But, but," He stammered, "come on, Bella. You had to have noticed. There are tons of pictures around here."

"You didn't recognize him either." Esme pointed, "Remember, Renee, showed us a picture when we were on our way to the ball." She held Dad's hand to bring him comfort. "Let me tell you, Bella, your dad had quite the mane."

Still, Dad was giving Bella a hard look.

"Look, this is a recent picture." She passed Esme one framed family picture from Bella's last birthday, along with a folded sheet of paper. Both, Esme and Dad gasped since Charlie's face was only covered by a bushy mustache. That was the Charlie/Chuck that I knew from the pictures scattered around the Higginbotham's house. Honestly, he changed a lot from the smug boy to the stern man he is now.

"Here is our address at Forks, and the house phone. If you want to reach him, just call him. I can't offer my help because at the moment we aren't on speaking terms but I believe if you call him, Esme, and explain what you are doing, he will accept."

With those words, she turned and thanked Tanya for the food and pulled me to leave. It seems our visit was over but was it successful?

xxx

Twenty-Three Mississipi, twenty-four Mississipi... Damn! How long does it take to get ready for a date?

Let me tell you these past two days had been intense. After our visit with Dad, Bella called Rosalie to share what happened. I'm certain she was worried she made him angry and my reassurings weren't enough as she said 'He is your Dad, he won't get angry with you'.

Rosalie came today to help Bella and told me to count to hundred and close my eyes. The waiting is killing me! Rosalie also demanded to know where I was taking Bella, to help her choose her attire. Of course, when I mentioned where I was taking her, Rosalie protested. A nice upper scale French cuisine restaurant and red roses were what Rosalie expected. I answered to her that maybe for an anniversary or some sort of special occasion. But by this first date, I wanted to ease things between us. I sadly admitted to Rosalie that our interactions after the ball debacle and finding Charlie's true identity seemed rather forced. I wanted us to be back to be US. Then she agreed that what I planned was perfect for Bella, who would probably wouldn't be impressed with the flowers, or the restaurant thinking it was too formal. Besides, Bella mentioned her desire to visit the place so...

"Taa-daaa! Here it is, the belle of the ball..." And with a curtsy, Rosalie introduced Bella. May I say that she looked mouthwatering. She was wearing jeans with a silk purple blouse and a little jacket. The clothes had the perfect proportion of skin tight (with those jeans) and loose (the blouse which accentuated her figure leaving enough for the imagination). She was perfect, and a bit anxious. So we said goodbye to Rosalie and left.

xxx

"You really know me," Bella said before biting her burger.

We were at our favorite eatery, Cope's. Mrs. Cope is a very sweet old lady who knows that we, poor college students, are always hungry and she managed to create the best burgers you will ever have. And, well, she has a sweet spot for me so she always put something extra in our burgers.

"And this is exactly what we needed to get back to our comfort zone." She said, letting me hold her hand.

Watching her eat, I wondered how such a tiny delicate hand was able to hold the mammoth double burger with mushrooms and cheese. Then I also remembered she was barely eating after the shock of Charlie's news. So it meant she was recovering.

"I'm glad you're feeling better." I bit my burger too.

"I know! And I'm so sorry. I mean, I'm sure I wasn't a sunshine to bear last week and then I kept dragging you around."

"No, no. I understand."

"But I wasn't fair to you, at all. When I told the news to your Dad, I swear he was going to throw me out of his house. If you hadn't interceded on my behalf,"

"Shh, shh. You were also innocent in all these, but a little planning before dropping that kind of bombs would be better, you know?" Yeah, because I'm still not sure what Dad is going to do with that information.

She blushed and smiled. "Sorry." Then she changed the topic and asked what subjects we should take next semester. Just like that, we were back to be ourselves with the added bonus that we were holding hands. Discussions about parents and their secrets are forgotten for the moment. This was our night.

I still had great plans for the next part of the date.

xxx

"You know, I don't understand why you like sharks so much." I shuddered. I recalled many times I made Dad get into a pool before me to check there wasn't one swimming under the water. Maybe bringing her to the Aquarium wasn't the best idea.

"They're majestic!" Bella cheered and jumped. "Look the grace of its movements, the look of mystery on its eyes." Or maybe bring her here was an excellent idea.

"That's no mystery, that's an 'I'm gonna eat you, sucka'."

Bella giggled. "Maybe this one, but the one over there seems quite entertained rounding the pool."

"Nah, he's looking for his next victim."

"Why do you think it's a 'he'? What if it's a 'her'?"

"Then worst, she's bidding her time to jump to an unsuspecting fish."

Bella laughed. "No, I heard they feed them a few times a week. You know, to keep them from eating their neighbors. Look, it's here in the brochure."

When Bella opened the booklet I got behind her and downed my head behind her shoulder, holding her in my arms. "Hmm, here it also says that sometimes if a fish gets a bit impertinent the sharks eat it," I whispered in her ear, making her shudder and blush.

She looked at me from under her lashes and sighed. So I did the only possible thing to do, I kissed her.

She followed my lead and soon we were embraced in a passionate lip-lock, not appropriate at all for a family venue.

Soon, a throat clearing behind me made us stop.

"E-hem. Bella? Is that you?" A guy with glasses stood glaring at me.

Bella was still dazed. Ahem, ahem. I still had the touch. But she composed and turned to greet the guy.

"Oh, hi Ben. How are you?"

"Not as well as you, it seems." The guy seemed rather upset from finding us kissing and I wondered where did she meet him or what was his problem. We weren't behaving so bad. PG13 at worst. So I decided to take the bull by the horns and let this guy speak his mind.

"Hi, I'm Edward Cullen. It's always nice to meet Bella's friends."

I shook his hand.

"This is Ben Cheney, he was my study partner in Mechanics," Bella added.

"Ah, right," I said, truly not remembering Bella mentioning him but I didn't want to be rude.

"So, you're here with your boyfriend?" This Ben guy asked, not concealing his jealousy at all. So, that's what is bothering him. Bella had an admirer and never mentioned him to me.

Bella's beaming smile at the word 'boyfriend' was enough answer but she nodded. "A-hum. And who is accompanying you?" She looked behind Ben, where a couple of kids no older that twelve were looking at the sharks too, completely unaware of the glare this Ben guy was giving me.

Maybe she didn't notice he was interested. As sharp as a knife as she is with other girls, it seems she's quite oblivious to guys that fancy her.

"My brother and his friend. I promised to bring them once the semester was over."

The kids weren't paying us attention at all, enthralled with the sharks and the other fishes in the tank. Ben called for them and the kids turned to look at me, and then to Bella. More exactly, to Bella's ass, followed by her torso and then her face. These kids just found out that girls don't have cooties.

"Hi." Kid No.1 said, blushing. Kid No.2 just blushed and waved.

Bella smiled at the kids. "So you like sharks too."

The kids nodded, overwhelmed by having the attention of someone as pretty as Bella. Oh, to be that young and innocent!

The speakers called for the Shark's workshop, so Ben, who also was completely fascinated by my girlfriend, pulled a bunch of tickets from his pocket.

"Hmm, we have to go."

"Ok Ben." I shook his hand, didn't giving him time to say anything else to Bella. "They say it's an interesting seminar, I hope you and your brother enjoy it."

Bella shook his hand and waved to the kids and I led her to the next part of the exposition.

"So Bella, you didn't tell me you have an admirer. Uh."

"Of course not. Ben looks at me like a little sister since I got here. We were together in Algebra I and a few others since then."

"U-hum." But I didn't want to make this date about her study partner so instead of pushing on this Ben topic, I decided to show her I was the best man.

"And here they have the octopus. Now, these ones I like."

"They are intelligent. I saw a video of one coming through a labyrinth."

While she was focused on the tank, I quickly got a small paper square and folded it to make an origami octopus. It was years ago that I learned to fold a few things, and the octopus seemed appropriate.

"Bella, close your eyes," I whispered to her ear.

She giggled.

"Give me your hand."

She extended it with her palm open. I deposited the small paper on it.

"Open now."

"Aww, Edward! It's perfect!"

"Well, it seems you like underwater fauna."

Her eyes were glazed and she stood on her tip toes and kissed me. This was the best date ever!

xxx

Jasper POV

While Edward was taking Bella on a date, we were running to Uncle Carlisle's home. I heard by accident how Bella told him about her father's real identity, and how that information affected him. It took a lot convincing from Esme and Tanya to get him understand that Bella was innocent in this mess, which only added to his anger towards Chuck. He didn't say it, but I was sure there was more on the band breaking than what they told us. Meanwhile, Bella and Edward were completely clueless of the can of worms they opened. Sure, Bella was angry with her father. But, come on! There must be a lot of reasons why he decided to hide from the rest of the group!

And as angry as Carlisle was, he planned to reveal this info to the others. From what Rosalie told me, Carlisle just asked them to come for dinner. It all seemed friendly. But I knew better.

I was sure as soon as my grandpa found out, he would run to Chuck's house and tear him a new one for keeping all his friends in the dark. Then, I'm not sure how Uncle Peter or Uncle Alec would take it. But the reaction that worried me the most, was the one from Chuck Eagles, or as I came to know him, Bella's dad. Grandpa and uncle Carlisle surely will fall upon him, without a warning. We'll need reinforcements to stall Grandpa and Carlisle.

And I know the one person who will help. I just hope she calls me back before the others part to Forks.


	14. Chapter 13

Esme POV

With the news Bella delivered, it took a lot of persuasion from Tanya and me to settle Carlisle down. I never saw a man that angry. I understood, of course. He felt betrayed by the girl who not only stole his son's heart but the one they welcomed with open arms to share an apartment. But he missed all the signs on Bella's face. Poor thing was equally hurt. She was devastated! Tanya agreed completely with me, and she's almost as protective of Edward as his own mother. But Carlisle took a page from Bella's book and decided to share the news with the others immediately. Consequences be damned! So before he called Joe Whitlock, Tanya suggested that an informal dinner at the house would be better not just to deliver the news, but to get re-acquainted first. It has been years since they saw each other, it was time to change that.

But, like my old neighbor used to say, man plans and God laughs.

We set everything for a cookout at the backyard. The moment Joe Whitlock, our first guest, arrived, rain started. We brought the food inside. I helped Tanya to cook burgers, hot dogs, chicken cutlets... the whole house reeked of grilled meat. So when the guests arrived, they went immediately to the table to eat.

Two hours later and most of the food was gone. These ex-boyband guys ate like there was no tomorrow. Even poor Peter Hale, who was limited to chicken and salad, though I'm sure I saw him munching on a burger behind Charlotte's back. But they were happily remembering old times. It was all laughs and teasing,

Carlisle tapped his glass of water with a fork. He was so formal.

"Hey, hmm, well, I'd like to propose a toast. For joyful reencounters."

Everybody said cheers, drinking and laughing, if only they could keep those smiles...

"Aaand... I have news. It seems like we found our friend Chuck."

His news were welcomed with lots of questions.

"Really?"

"Oh, is he fine?"

"Yeah, we didn't hear a thing about him."

"Please tell me he isn't the toothless man."

Carlisle had a wry pout and shook his head after hearing the worried questions from the others. He was still raging mad.

"No. It seems after his early retirement, he settled in a little town nearby. Forks."

"So, what did he say when you talked to him?" Charlotte asked. I guess they all assumed Carlisle already contacted him.

"I just found out yesterday. I haven't talked to him."

"But then how?" Peter asked mid-bite of a hotdog while Charlotte slapped his hand to stop him.

"His daughter is, ahem, friends with my son." Carlisle blushed with this answer, letting everybody know they were more than 'friends'.

Joe Whitlock was chocking with whatever he was drinking. "You mean little Bella who shares the apartment with Jasper and Edward? I thought the poor girl just had overly worried parents. Jasper said she had a delicate health as a child and college was her first time out of her home."

"She is. And she's a bright girl, almost a genius. The bits I found Chuck kept her from the world too. It seems it wasn't only her health what worried him. He didn't want her close to any male friend. Her mother was the one helping her to keep our kid's friendship secret."

Alec guffaw startled me. He was always so quiet.

"Let me get this straight. Chuck Eagles, our Chuck, the man who was head to head tied with you in the girl conquering department, was afraid his little girl would find a man like him? And they say karma doesn't exist."

Carlisle looked ashamed and didn't dare to look at me. Oh, come on! I knew they were wild when younger.

"Bella is a bit shy, doesn't have a lot of friends," I added, trying to get them to understand Bella. "We didn't know how secluded they were until we went to a ball with her and her mother."

Charlotte nodded. "Yeah, Rosalie talked to me about her. Her mother is a renowned painter, right? Maybe that's why they valued their privacy."

"Maybe. But a few words letting us know he was fine..." Joe said.

"I know! We just went to the hospital one day to find he left without a trace." Alec shook his head.

"And to think he was living a few miles from here." Carlisle's disappointment evident.

"I tell you, if this is true I'm so going to punch him. Disappearing like that for so many years. Not a single word, a simple 'I'm ok'. We worried so much." Joe Whitlock shook his head.

Oh God, he's angry. Maybe letting them know this way wasn't the best idea.

"I swear, we could have crossed our paths a hundred times and not know it!" Peter smiled. "I tell you, only him would be so sneaky to disappear on simple sight. And you say he had a thick beard and long hair."

"Yeah, I didn't recognize him!" Carlisle still couldn't believe he saw a picture of Chuck and it didn't ring a bell. "I mean, we'd seen each other buck naked in our worst! Remember summer of '84 in Phoenix? Maybe my memory is that bad."

"And time changes us." Charlotte mustered. It seemed that she and Peter were the only ones not angry at Chuck, ahem, Charlie. "If I recall it correctly, none of you were on good terms at the time of the accident."

"Well, yeah! But still, a few words warning us he was fine but to fuck off would be welcomed." Alec, who usually was pretty tight-lipped, was pretty angry too. Carlisle told me that given he was the oldest, he thought of the rest as his little brothers. Probably he felt betrayed.

"So, how do we reach him? Do you think his daughter would help? According to Jasper she and your son are quite fond of each other." Joe wriggled his brows and laughed. "Imagine if twenty years ago someone told you your son would fancy Chuck's daughter."

Carlisle huffed. While Chuck was an attractive man, according to his fans, Carlisle would probably picture a very hairy woman with a mustache, and Chuck's wide nose.

Suddenly, the door opened with a slam, and a new group arrived to interrupt the reunion. It was Jasper, Rosalie, Emmett, and Elizabeth. Damn! Tanya should have warned me.

"It seems we got here on time," Elizabeth stated.

"Elizabeth? What are you doing here?" Carlisle was unsure of the cause his ex would traipse to his house unannounced, with the kids.

"Jasper is worried about the way you'll handle this. You seem to forget Bella lives with him too! He witnessed all the drama the poor girl is suffering."

Jasper nodded and went to greet his grandfather.

"I just talked to her today, and she's still pretty angry towards her father," Rosalie added. "We," she pointed to the four around her, "worry if you go and plant yourselves outside Chuck's house, he will take it wrong. Bella said he's a very private person."

"And grumpy," Jasper mentioned.

"And despite their fight, we hope one day their relationship will mend," Elizabeth added with a heavy look towards Carlisle. "After all, she's his only daughter. His little girl." She let her words sink on those who were angry. She was right. We really didn't know Chuck reasons to hide. And by the way Joe and Alec were getting so angry while Peter and Charlotte remained calmed, I was beginning to believe there was something more about the band's rupture than we realized.

"Look, I know all of you are shocked to find out he was living a normal life nearby. But before you run to his door and demand an explanation, why not have some of those questions answered. I brought someone here that may bring light to his reasons, while you may clear some of her questions too." Elizabeth walked back to the door, letting a woman inside.

"Come inside. They're ready for you."

She led a woman covered with a heavy black coat inside. As soon as the woman disrobed, I gasped.

It was Renee Higginbotham!

"Hi, sorry to interrupt your dinner. Oh, Lizzy, maybe we should come back later."

But Elizabeth was adamant it was fine. "Nonsense. It's about time you all got together."

Let me say that we were all shocked. For me and Carlisle, it was inconceivable that the polished woman who accompanied us to the ball was this pale and distressed one. Her hair seemed dull and matted, dark circles under her eyes. That fight with Bella really affected her.

"Well, this is Renee Higginbotham," Carlisle told us. "She is Chuck's wife."

xxx

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Sorry for cutting the chapter here. Over the weekend I'll post the next part, it's already written ;)
> 
> Let me hear your opinion.
> 
> May


	15. 14

Let me say that we were all shocked. For me and Carlisle, it was inconceivable that the polished woman who accompanied us to the ball was this pale and distressed one. Her hair seemed dull and matted, dark circles under her eyes. That fight with Bella really affected her.

"Well, this is Renee Higginbotham," Carlisle told us. "She is Chuck's wife."

xxx

Esme POV

Carlisle's words were welcomed with silence.

Well, I don't know what I was expecting. It wasn't like Joe or Carlisle would jump to demand an explanation to Renee for keeping Chuck's identity a secret.

After the initial shock, everybody greeted her, welcoming her as a long time friend. Alec was very excited, declaring he was an admirer of her work and was fast to bring her a chair right next to him. Soon everybody was seated, chatting amicably about the most inane topics like the weather.

But Renee wasn't one to waste time. Soon she regained her wits and addressed the reason why she crashed our little gathering.

"Well, It's really nice to meet you, all of you. Charlie sometimes shares some of his good memories from when you were together." She turned to Carlisle. "I'm sorry for coming here uninvited, but it came to my knowledge that Bella dropped a little bomb yesterday." She shook her head. "It was bound to happen, I just wished she talked to Charlie instead of... well. It doesn't matter now, the cat's out of the bag. So much for changing his name." She stopped and glanced around the room, noticing the curiosity etched on each face. "I guess you have a lot of questions, and I promise to answer the best I can, though you have to understand there are a few topics that I won't touch. I'll leave them to Charlie because I'm sure he will like to see you once I tell him I was here. " She sat straight and turned to Joe. "So, Lizzie told me you were getting together but she didn't explain why. Are you planning to get the group back together? Because Charlie won't agree to repeat the experience. It didn't end up well the first time for him."

Instead, Peter laughed and answered her. "Oh no. While we're thankful for the opportunity that Dazzling Proximity gave us, none of us is ready to wear sequined spandex ever again."

"Amen to that!" Alec yelled. "I'll die a happy man if I never wear a sequin or feather."

"I had a health scare recently, that made me put things in perspective. You know, like I don't have all the time in the world, life is short to hold grudges. So, whether we like it or not, we were together for a good part of our lives and the way things ended... well, I don't want to think that I could die and never made peace with my brothers of DP. I want to make amends and if it's possible, rekindle that friendship that we had once upon a time. So I was planning some sort of reunion, like this one, to smooth things over."

Renee seemed touched by Peter's revelations. "So you're ill..."

"Just a little scare," Peter answered, but Charlotte shook her head.

"A big scare. It made us realize we're not young anymore. And well, they were together for a long time. In some ways they were in DP while growing up, experiencing many 'firsts' together. I'm pretty sure you all shared your first alcohol bender along with your first hangover that first night on tour."

Carlisle smiled. "Joe made us clean the hotel suite the next morning. He told us it was our first lesson, to take responsibility for our actions. We were a rowdy bunch."

"And you only got rowdier with time," Joe added. "Sadly, the camaraderie vanished with time, egos grew out of control, then there were outside forces always wanting something more from the boys, and that led to the sad day the group ended. Do you think Chuck, sorry, Charlie would like to join us?"

"Hmm, I guess you're right about the way the group ended." Renee sighed. "I'm sure I can convince Charlie to set his resentment aside, but it may take me some time. God knows the man is so stubborn. See, we kind of kept his identity hidden from our daughter and she found out accidentally. I'm positive that she's angrier about the lie than she is about Charlie's profession, I mean, she doesn't mind Carlisle at all. But now she isn't talking to us and as you could understand, we have to get our family together first, then I think Charlie will be more than ready to face his old partners."

What she said was the honest truth. If I was in Charlie's shoes I would want to be in my daughter's good graces before dealing with the reconciliation with my old bandmates.

"But he is fine, right? We didn't have the chance to say goodbye before he left the hospital. We didn't know if he was going to heal completely." Charlotte asked.

"Oh, he recovered rather well. Sometimes, if he stands for a long time one of his knees gets wonky, but overall he's perfectly recovered from the accident."

"Well, those are good news. Now we only have to find Marcus." Joe pointed out.

"Oh! I got news. I found his brother, he's living in Berlin. He gave me the address of his parents. Let's hope they know where Marcus is now." I was so glad to have news on that side too.

"Oh, no. No, no, no. Please, don't contact those awful people." Renee quickly went for my hand. "Marcus cut his ties with them for a good reason. They're scum. They don't have the slightest clue of his whereabouts. As a matter of fact, they would probably use you to find him."

That tidbit of information shocked us.

"Are you sure? How do you know?"

"Well, after the accident, Marcus was left in a difficult position, all because of them." She closed her hands, trying to control her anger. "They took everything from him, and then abandoned him. Poor thing struggled not only with his health but with all these debts he wasn't even aware of. It took him so much time to recover and stay hidden from them."

Wow. Maybe that's why the man was so eager to get me in touch with his mother. They are still looking for Marcus.

"So, you're still in touch with Marcus?" Joe asked Renee.

"Of course. We are good friends with him. He was Charlie's best man at our wedding. I can get you in touch with him anytime. He's kind of a nomad now, traveling all around the globe. So I'm not quite sure where exactly he is now, but I can promise you to give him a call. He probably would like to join this reunion, I'm sure he misses all of you."

"So, we can talk to Marcus later. But what I really want to know is about Chu..Charlie. What I'd like to know is why he left the hospital like that?"

"It was because of his parents." Renee sighed. "They never agreed with his career's choice and finding him hurt and broken at the hospital gave them the leverage to make him obey. There was also something about drugs, but Charlie was adamant that he was clean and sober the night of the accident."

Joe nodded. "Yeah. There was no way I would let one of my boys drive if they had something on them." The others agreed. "If he drank as little as one beer, I would have called a driver. Trust me, it wouldn't be the first time. I always cared for the boys. But now, I would like to know what happened? Why did they leave like that?"

"It was a mess! In one side, you have Marcus finding someone took his money. He remembered someone came while he was barely conscious and got him to sign some papers. Turned out his family bribed his accountant and lawyer to got him rid of the control of his money. They claimed it was clear after the accident that he was a mess and incapable of managing his assets. He wasn't in the right frame of mind to fight them in court. He was still recovering and in need of therapy." Renee was getting mad just remembering what happened to Marcus.

"I knew it!" Joe slammed his fist on the table. "When we started the tour, Marcus asked to refer him to a different law firm. He had the feeling that his parents were robbing him. Of course, I gave him advice, but he was troubled thinking his own mother and father were using him."

"But what about his secret account?" Alec asked.

"Joe always advised us to keep another savings account, in the case of an emergency," Carlisle explained. "I used mine to buy this house after I retired."

"Yeah, but remember Marcus somehow always had some sort of 'emergency'. The last one I remember was paying for his niece's appendix surgery. He was angry because his brother's insurance was shit. His family was always over him." Charlotte expressed her distaste for the Volturi family. "He probably didn't have any money left."

Renee nodded. "Exactly. So, when Charlie found out, he offered to give him the money to pay. But then Charlie was also dealing with his own family. His parents were adamant his life was out of control and as soon as the doctor declared he was well enough to move, they took Charlie away. He was sent to a facility in Iowa for physical therapy for his legs. They brought Marcus along because he needed the help. So you see, they bonded through the ordeal. Considering they also didn't hear anything from you..."

Alec cursed and exclaimed "Bullshit! We were at the hospital every day. But the nurses didn't let us get into their rooms claiming they weren't ready for visitors. If we knew about Marcus' situation we would have paid for his bills. Come on, we were like family! We fought like cats and dogs but at the end of the day, we were there for each other."

"But their other 'families' didn't like us." Carlisle pointed out.

"So you mean they didn't let you visit any of them, at the same time they were telling Charlie and Marcus that nobody was coming?" Renee shook her head. "If it wasn't because his parents are already dead..."

"But what did they win keeping you apart?" I asked. I couldn't fathom why their family would want them to feel alone.

"The Volturi wanted to keep control of Marcus money, that's for sure." Renee sneered. "And my 'dearest' parents-in-law were so ashamed of Charlie that they would jump at the chance to take him out of the limelight." She regained her composure. "Anyway, now I have a few questions of my own. See, I met Charlie a few months later. He was still recovering and he was so bitter. I mean, he surely hated all of you at the time, not that he does now because he doesn't. But he blamed you. He felt you abandoned him and Marcus. It became difficult for him to open up about the night of the accident, and the few things he told me... He said he was questioned by a DEA agent!"

Now that really shocked us. I could see it in Peter's face, on Alec's too. Joe grumbled some curses and then said "Yeah, that's a usual procedure in accidents like the one we had. Add that DP had a fame of party hard and you could guess why they were eager to verify Charlie's status."

"But to send an agent? Wouldn't they have just analyzed Charlie's blood?" Jasper asked. The kids remained so quiet after bursting into our reunion without being invited that I forgot they were here. Perhaps they were worried Joe or Carlisle would kick their asses out, but the shock of the news of a DEA agent involvement was too much for them. Those measures taken against Charlie weren't normal. But Joe just shrugged them off.

"At least we were clean because we were touring. I'm not gonna lie, we weren't saints. Sometimes while we were resting I used, and sometimes during parties." Carlisle hung his head in shame.

"You have to understand that drugs, girls, alcohol, everything was at our reach just because we were famous. Sometimes we indulged." Alec admitted looking at Emmett. "But we have to thank this old log for keeping us out of addictions." He patted Joe's back.

"And because we were famous it took a lot of effort to keep this incident quiet. I'm sure there were a few paps lounging at the hospital's lobby trying to get a peek of one of us wasted. I remember I had to stay hidden inside a janitor's closet," Peter added. "We weren't allowed to visit Chu-Charlie 'til the next day's evening! Of course, we had to hide with hats and big coats. It took at least a week to thing to go back to normal."

Renee was smiling. "It's funny now that you explained it. Charlie and Marcus remember things very differently, but then, I'm pretty sure they weren't really conscious around that time. For them it was a blur of people coming and going, poking and prodding and asking questions like they had all the answers. And what about a woman named Victoria? I mean, I don't know all the circumstances around that accident, but what I gathered is that Charlie and Marcus, well, they liked to one up against each other. And there was this girl who always was around, Victoria."

"Ugh! Victoria..." Charlotte huffed. "I hated that woman. She was a nuisance we were forced to endure."

"Really? I thought... Charlie told me she was always teasing him and Marcus."

"And Carlisle, and Peter before Charlotte," Alec said.

"And after me, but I gave her a few reasons to stay away," Charlotte added with a smug smile. "I accompanied them to the last tour. By then Peter and I were 'official'." She said with a giggle. "I had to make sure Victoria knew her place and kept her wandering hands to herself. She was only the producer's assistant, and that was because he was her older brother."

"She was always around, since the beginning," Alec explained, "but she only got her claws out the last two years we were together. Before that, she was a really serious girl, working hard to learn the ropes. Then she left for a while, I'm not sure where she went but when she came back she was completely changed." He sighed. "We don't know what happened to her, but after the accident, she vanished."

"Really? Oh, well." Renee seemed confused. "It's just that she told them... but then it can't be true. What Charlie told me was that when the last tour was about to end, he bought that ridiculous car and asked Joe to let him drive the last leg of the journey. Then just before you all left, Victoria asked a bit of time to talk to him and Marcus." Renee recalled.

"So that's why Marcus went with them. I remember they fought the night before, so it was weird to see them together." Charlotte said.

"Yeah, well she wanted them alone because she was claiming to be pregnant and that one of them was the father."

The guys irrupted in laughter.

"Pregnant? My ass! She passed out drunk the night before when she was partying with the crew guys." Peter said between laughs.

"I'm still shocked that someone fell into her stories!" Alec added. "I mean, you know I'm not into girls, but even I knew what kind of girl was Victoria. She loved to stir trouble everywhere she went."

"And why bother with someone like her when you..." Carlisle stopped ashamed of what he was saying.

"Oh, come on! We're all adults here and it happened so long ago." Peter continued, "Say it like it is. Why bother with her, when you could have any other girl you wanted with much less effort and without consequences. Exactly like it happened to Charlie and Marcus. She was trying to get something else from them, my guess it was money."

"Or attention. Remember how she always found a way to get into our pictures?" Carlisle added. "I still don't know how she managed to end with just a couple of bruised ribs and a mild concussion. She left the hospital the next day!"

Renee was flabbergasted with all the information the guys were providing about Victoria.

"Why are you so surprised?" Elizabeth asked Renee.

"It's just... Charlie and Marcus spent a whole year looking for her. You know, with the chance that she had a baby, their baby. Charlie was torn that the accident may cause damage to the little baby. It weighed on him for so long."

"Well, tell him to forget about it. There was no way Victoria was pregnant, otherwise, the doctors wouldn't have left her to leave the hospital." Alec huffed. "She really had good luck coming out unscathed."

Renee sighed. "Well, I guess we can forget about the chance of having another kid. Did you know that the pregnancy was a bit of a part why those two kept his identities hidden? Their lawyers and my father in law recommended it."

Elizabeth moved her chair to get closer to Renee. "Let's forget about that accident. It's in the past and forgotten. Tell us, how did you two meet?"

"Oh. Well, he was at the facility. He was struggling to walk without crutches. And I, I was recovering from..." Renee sighed, turned to look at Elizabeth and then continued. "I was recovering from my first miscarriage, I was left with some sequels. We met in our group therapy. He was this grumpy mass of hair and dark glasses, and he just grumbled excuses to avoid open up to the group. I was just quiet." She giggled. "One night, I got into the kitchen to steal cake leftovers. I was so hungry! But I wasn't the only one. When I found him, he scared me so much that I screamed and almost got us caught. Charlie somehow managed to pull me through a back door and showed me a little corridor that led to the exit. Imagine him, limping through the corridor while pulling me and cursing me for not being quiet. I had to give him all my cake to make him smile." She pulled her phone from her pocket, looked around for something and the passed it around. "That was Charlie around the time I met him."

"I can easily picture him being grumpy. But not the hair. And the beard!" Alec scrunched his nose in distaste.

"Oh my God! You weren't kidding. I remember he was proud of his hair and he used to style it carefully. But to leave it to grow wild like this..." Peter shook his head.

"He was so vain then." Carlisle murmured.

Joe chuckled. "You were all vain, Mr. I-dont-leave-the-room-without-a-mirror."

Those words made everybody laugh.

"Hey, then Bella knows Marcus, right?" Rosalie wondered.

"Well, yes. But she knows him by another name. While he went to hiding he decided to rely on his middle name. For her, he is Uncle Teo. You know, because his full name is Marcus Theodore Volturi."

xxx

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!
> 
> Sorry for taking so long to post but I hope you enjoy this chapter. Next, we will be back with Edward and Bella.


	16. Chapter 15

EPOV

xxx

Sometimes, after an emotional rollercoaster, one ends up feeling exhausted but relieved. The ups and downs, the shocks and surprises, all of them are finally behind. In Bella's case, after finding out Charlie's true identity and the mess that was the charity ball, she found solace in me. Yes, she not only enjoyed our first date, but agreed to become my girlfriend.

You don't have an idea how pleasurable these past weeks had been. Not only we were free from classes but, because Bella still doesn't talk to her parents, we'd spent the whole time together. It has been a great chance to let our relationship grow stronger while exploring our limits. Something that annoys our roommate to no end. Apparently catching us making out (the most that we've done by the way) is stressing him when he also has a big project to finish over the summer. Bella thinks he's just grumpy because he's skipping his usual joint to help him concentrate. I think there's something more bothering him, but Bella was right in pointing that after the night of our date, Jasper stopped smoking pot.

Anyway, right now, we are lounging in her bedroom. This morning Bella got a package in the mail and opened while we were in the living room. The package was a pleasant surprise and we may have got overcome with joy and made a bit of a fuss over it. Which turned us into a pair of loud fuckers according to Jasper. Those were his exact words. So, lying on her bed to check the contents of the package was our only choice since Jasper couldn't concentrate with our laughter.

"Damn! Now I'm wondering how you make it without the fame going straight to your head?" Bella said snickering.

The package came from Jane. A little manila folder full of pictures and newspaper's clips of the ball, courtesy of her mother. Yeah, Jane's mother now loved Bella and was urging Jane to keep in touch. Jane made sure to let us know her enthusiasm by drawing over the biggest picture a mustache over Bella's lips while she drew a wild red mane over my head and a realistic and disgusting hairy mole on my nose. The girl was an artist, if only she used her talents for the good.

"Me? No little missy, this is entirely yours. You just found your first fan. Congrats!"

"Hell no! I can't understand how having my picture on the papers would make someone want to meet me. I mean, I was just a guest! Just like other two-hundred people. There isn't a picture focused on me! Look here!" She showed me another picture. "I was at the front because I was the shortest of the group because I refused to wear those killer heels Rosalie suggested."

"But you sure made an impression on Jane's mom. Didn't she know who is your mother?"

"Meh, painters don't get that kind of recognition outside of their circle. Though I'm not sure she ever told her."

"Oh, but this is just the beginning. Just wait until someone finds out who's your Dad." I told her while she shook her head in disbelief, "Oh, yeah. Jane's mom already started. She will torture Jane with invitations to teas and brunch at her country club, where she will expect your presence to show you off." Because Jane's mother was THAT kind of woman.

Bella smiled. "Imagine if I agreed just once, just to spite Jane. She would spit in my coffee."

"Nah, but she probably will call that Angela to tell her where are you living."

"Shut up! Don't even mention her."

Bella was still a bit wary about the whole Angela incident. It seems she was still lurking around Bella's old dorm looking out for her. Jane found out when she finally got the rest of her things. Bella was so thankful she wasn't going to set a foot in that building.

"Knowing Jane, she will probably make loud noises while eating. Slurping on her spaghetti or making bubbles on her soda. She would want to embarrass both of you and guarantee her mother will leave her alone." I gave another look to the glossy picture that came from a magazine. It was the one less damaged and I was considering framing it. Bella looked breathtaking, her soft smile and charming blush made me love her more. I live just to make her smile like that every day. Yeah, a frame... If I could only ignore the horns coming out of my head. Damn Jane!

Bella burst out laughing suddenly. "I just imagined Jane burping her way out of the Country Club. Sorry, it's just... so surreal. I mean, I get those girls following you all the time. Not only you're the son of Carlisle Cullen but you're easy in the eye, so handsome. And I am, well, me." With that last word, she turned her head down, avoiding to look into my eyes. I was having none of it.

"Bella, baby." I gently lifted her chin, forcing her to see the sincerity of my words. "Don't you dare to put you down. You are the most beautiful girl I ever met!" It always shocks me how little she thinks of her. "Or should I bring your friend Ben to give his opinion?"

"Please, don't lie. I'm aware that I'm not ugly, but in no way I'm in the same league as other girls. Look at Rosalie!"

"You are a thousand times more beautiful than her! She's so, so, so bossy." Really, comparing herself to Rosalie? And now she's pouting because she doesn't believe me. "Look, I get that she's pretty, but her style is kind of... flashy? You know what's the only difference between her and you?"

She shook her head, still looking down.

"That she feels comfortable enough in her skin. That's it. I'd rather look into your eyes. They are still full of wonder at the little things in life."

I couldn't resist it anymore, I kissed her. And she answered with so much passion!

"Jesus!" Jasper came unannounced into the room. "I'm going to bring a hose to separate you."

Bella lifted her face from mine, giggling. "I'm quite tempted to buy you some pot, you really really need to relax."

Jasper gave us a condescending look. "You two are way too relaxed. It's two in the afternoon and both are wearing pajamas!" He shook his head. "Look, just get dressed. I need your help with something." He turned and left the room, closing the door carefully but muttering something that sounded like 'You wouldn't know where to buy it'.

"He's so grumpy!" Bella muttered.

"My guess is that his project isn't going like he wants, or he isn't getting the results he estimated." I stood from the bed and helped Bella to a sitting position. "I better go back to my room and shower. Who knows what kind of help he requires? I mean, it isn't like we can help him with his project, it's way above my head to try to understand him."

Bella just smirked. "I guess a quick shower will be fine. Maybe we can drag him out for dinner later. We've been too busy to talk to him. Now I feel like I'm a shitty friend."

"Hey! Don't. He asked us to leave him alone, not too politely by the way. But you're right, we should get him a beer and greasy food."

From the outside, we heard Jasper kicking at the door. "Hurry up! The office closes in an hour we have to get going."

Bella growled, aware now that Jasper was planning to take us to the Mathematics building at the college. "He just lost the greasy food. A salad for him."

xxx

It took us less than an hour to get to the office, find Jasper's Professor and deliver the first pages of his project. Sure, he needed us to help him with the mountain of reference books the man lent him, and of course meeting the man who would probably be teaching us in the future was fine, but definitively it wasn't urgent. I was starting to smell bullshit. He wanted us out of the apartment. Then he declined our invitation to dinner, insisting he wanted to get back to rest. Ah-hum.

But when we arrived back to the apartment, only to find a car waiting for us, I knew he set us up.

It was Emmett and Rosalie, but I wasn't sure why they were here.

"Hi! We just thought we could stop by, and we brought dinner." Rosalie stated with a half-convincing smile. Something was up. And Bella was completely oblivious as she cheerily hugged Rose and Emmett, guiding them inside.

I stopped Jasper before he got inside. "What's going on?"

He shrugged me off. "Nothing bad. Just go inside with your girlfriend."

Somehow his words did nothing to acquiesce the feeling of impending doom... or maybe I was overreacting. After all, Rose and Emmett were a common fixture at our apartment. Maybe they just missed us.

xxx

"I feel like I haven't seen you in weeks!" Bella cheerily stated, taking a seat beside Rosalie.

"Well, it's because you haven't!" Rosalie admonished, but then she smiled. "But I know how does it feel. You're still on cloud nine, enjoying your time with Eddie."

Jasper huffed at Rose's words.

"Oh! Come on! Don't be so grouchy." Emmett joined the conversation. "Once upon a time you were just as nauseatingly sweet as they are."

"Anyway..." Rose interrupted, getting serious suddenly. "We have news." She gave a glance around, noticing we were all listening. "We set a date for the wedding. January 20th."

Bella clapped and hugged Rose, clearly missing the finer details involved in 'setting the date'.

"I guess now the cat is out of the bag," I looked at Bella, hoping to make her realize what was behind Rosalie's words. "it's just a matter of time before our parents get together, right?"

Bella gasped, realization sinking in.

Rosalie was fast to answer. "Yeah, they kind of started. Your mother and Bella's mother seemed to develop a tight friendship. Last I heard, she was planning a big dinner with everyone involved in DP. So it leads me to... well, I want to ask two little favors to Bella."

Bella was still in shock-mode but nodded.

"I want to ask you to if you would be one of my bridesmaids."

Bella recovered and hugged Rosalie. "Sure! I will love to."

"And the second favor..." I urged Rosalie because I knew this was the real reason for their presence at the apartment.

"It would make it all easier if you talked to your parents, you know?" Rosalie mumbled while wriggling her hands, a gesture quite hard to conceive as I always saw her all poised and confident.

Huh? It seems she really cares for Bella and is worried about her reaction because I'm pretty sure she would boss her way to get Bella to do her bidding if she didn't really like her. She used to boss me around when we were kids.

"It's time you face them, Bella. You'll have to do it one day, and if you're really honest, you're being too harsh on your mother. And you, stop coddling her!" Jasper glare was directed at me.

"What?"

"While you two were on your honeymoon, have you thought how Bella's mother is faring? Not knowing how her daughter is or if she's suffering, knowing that she also reaped a new one to her husband, because not informing Bella of his past was his idea."

Bella huffed. "Yet, she went along with his plan. Have you ever think how humiliating was to face Mr. Cullen explaining that he probably knew more of my father than me? The distrust I possibly earned?"

Jasper, Rosalie, and Emmett shook their heads.

"No! It's quite the opposite. See, hmm, your mother had a heart to heart with him."

"What? When? Why?" Bella was so shocked.

"So this is an intervention?" I was angry, hoping Bella wasn't hurt. There are better ways to push Bella to talk to her parents.

Emmett, the only level-headed at the moment, stood from his place at our couch and walked to kneel in front of Bella. "Look, Elizabeth kind of figured out by herself the truth. She discussed the best way to approach this with your mother, but then you found out by accident. Now, I don't defend your mother's choice of helping your Dad to keep it secret, but I'm sure there's a lot more they aren't saying. But, what better way to find out than to talk to them? That way you'll know the truth and you'll be able to make a decision, whether it's to forgive them or to tell them to fuck off."

Bella seems to ponder Emmett's words, but I'm still angry.

"Suck it up." Jasper elbowed me. "This is about Bella."

"Besides," Emmett continued, "I'm sure you realize that the moment you went and shared your father's real identity with Carlisle, everybody would find out. Miss Platt was there! So sure, you set in motion many, many changes. But I'm glad you did. Because now, my future Father-in-law will be able to lift that weight on his chest after making peace with his ex-friends. And we," he motioned to Rosalie, "we can plan our future. You just gave Rosalie the chance of the wedding of her dreams to come true."

Bella seemed more relaxed.

Jasper went to kneel with Emmett and tried to give Bella a smile. "As a matter of fact, the rest of the group already knows about your dad."

"What?" Bella asked with eyes huge like plates.

"They already know. Carlisle invited them to dinner to tell them, and your mother sort of crashed that party."

"WHAT?" Bella's eyes got bigger, her brows were about to jump from her face.

"It was fine. Elizabeth was the one who brought her," Emmett added while patting her knees, "you know how when Elizabeth set her mind on something, she always gets it done. She wants to help."

"And it turned out fine. They all had a heart to heart and ended on good terms." Rosalie said with her most reassuring smile.

Still, Bella was shocked.

"Bella, you have to understand, you can't keep burying your head in the sand. Your parents are worried. Just think, time keeps going on, soon you'll start the new semester. Where do you think you're going to get money for tuition?" Jasper was trying to remain calm, but he clearly he was annoyed. Why was he so angry?

"I have my own money," Bella stated, shrugging her shoulders.

"Yeah, about that, do you have enough? Renee was wondering how were you managing. She offered to send me the money but I think if you're mature enough to leave your house and your parents without looking back,"

"Ok, ok. I get your point. So, she's calling you?"

"Not only her. Carlisle is worried about loverboy over here. None of you are answering their calls."

Did Dad complain? But I'm sending him texts! He knows we are fine. And that was the moment I finally understood why Jasper was so angry at us. Not only our parents were hovering over him to get answers, worried about us while he also had to witness how we frolick around without a care in the world. He isn't our babysitter, nor he should be held accountable of our actions. Suposedly, we're adults. He's right.

"Sorry man. I'll call him." And he is still looking at me like he's expecting something else, though Bella and her words are the ones that made him smile.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't put any of you in this position. It was my decision to spill the beans and yet I wasn't there to face the consequences." She stood from our couch to hug Jasper. "I promise you, I'm going to call my mother. I won't be hiding anymore."

"That's what I want to hear." Jasper just messed with her hair.

"Oh, you're all so cute!" Rosalie hollered and jumped to join the hug.

Emmett turned to me and shrugged, pulling me to join the group hug.

"Hey! Why is there a picture of Edward with horns on the floor?"

Damn Jane!

xxx

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up... Bella finally talks with her parents, and it won't go as smoothly as she wants (Hint: Charlie finding out about Edward).
> 
> And maybe a bit of a time jump.
> 
> I want to apologize for taking so long to write. I suffered a family loss that really killed my writing mojo. Then with the damn earthquakes, I can't seem to get back to normal. Though I shouldn't complain, my family is fine, our homes are fine and right now we're just a bit scared.
> 
> But let me tell you that I already wrote the rest of this story but when I re-read it seems kind of depressing. So I'm editing a bit over here and over there because this story isn't supposed to be sad. There is sort of eight more chapters, and I really hope you'll like them.


	17. Chapter 16

The road to Forks was unusually sunny. It was like fate was making it easy to me, not giving me a chance to find an excuse to postpone the inevitable. Even the trees were waving their branches inviting me to come home. Maybe it won't be so difficult? Maybe I just have to get my head of my ass and over it as Jasper so eloquently said.

My mother was ecstatic when I called her and was fast to invite me for breakfast. I suggested the dinner, but she cleverly claimed that the conversation we were about to have required some privacy that Fork's finest dinner couldn't offer. Later Dad called but I guess he panicked because he hung up before I had the chance to answer. And he never called back.

Ahh. Maybe he's just as anxious as I am. Remember Bella, just stick to the four points: Offer an apology for worrying them. Explain the circumstances that made you move from the dorms. Ask them why do they feel it was right to hide Dad's past. Ask for some space and acceptance of your decisions. The talk will go easy as long as you stay on those topics.

I looked down at my outfit for the day. A grey cotton top with my new skinny jeans. Huh. Take that, Dad. Jasper suggested I bring an oversized hoodie, just in case. But if I was going to prove my point, I needed to show him I am comfortable on my skin. That I'm not hiding behind my clothes anymore, and that I don't dress like his beloved Angela. Just can't wait to hear what he thinks when he finds out she's not the sweet minister's daughter. Mwa-ha-ha.

Darn! I was so lost in my thoughts, that I didn't realize I was home. Home, calling this house home seems so foreign now.

"Bella! Come here."

Of course, my mother would be the one waiting for me. Dad was probably sitting in our dining room, where the important conversations always took place.

She hugged me so tight and I had to admit I missed her embrace.

"Mom, I'm sorry."

She looked at me, with tears in her eyes but smiling, "Just don't do it again. I was so worried."

A throat clearing behind us interrupted our embrace.

"Bella."

Dad was standing at the door, a giant stuffed bear sitting between his legs. Now, while I can't deny that I found the bear so cute if I was to prove my point I have to show him that the way to earn my forgiveness is with words and not a toy. But I couldn't be rude. He was trying.

"Dad." I walked to him, rounding the bear, and tried to give him my hand but he wasn't having any of it. He hugged me.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you." He whispered in my ear. "But you can't run and hide from us. Never. We were so worried." He added sternly.

"Sorry, Dad. I guess I didn't deal with my anger in the proper way." See, I was civil and polite. The time for complaints and to demand answers would come soon.

Mom pushed us to the inside, claiming she didn't want to give the neighbors a show. Once inside, we went to the dining room, as I supposed. There were food and beverages on the table.

"Come on, serve yourselves. I know you're hungry Bella after driving for so long. Charlie, you never say no to food."

Mom was acting normal, so I followed her cue. I knew she would make us talk anyway. We dove into the delicious food and for the first five minutes, all you could hear was the sounds of the silverware clinking with the dishes.

"So Bella, why did you leave the dorm? Did you have problems with Jane? She looked like a nice girl." Dad asked.

"No, it wasn't like that. Her last girlfriend was jealous, and,"

As soon as Dad realized what I meant with 'girlfriend' he choked on his drink.

"Pardon me? Girlfriend?"

"Yeah, Dad. Jane is a lesbian. I really hope you don't have a problem with that, she's still my friend." I know I began to sound testy, but, come on! Dad spent years and years in the group with Alec, who apparently is one of the nicest persons according to Emmett, I'm pretty sure somewhere along the way he found out Alec was gay.

Mom was also glaring at Dad.

"No, I don't have a problem. It just took me by surprise. I guess her parents aren't aware." Dad tried to amend.

"Her mother isn't accepting it. I told you she has a few problems of her own. Just know that also left the dorm. She's staying with an aunt who lives close to the college."

"And you're staying..."

"With friends." He just stared, waiting for clarification. "Two male friends. Jasper Whitlock and Edward Cullen. And I know you know their parents." Dad completely ignored my tone, because he was glaring.

"Jasper is the grandson of Joe," Mom added, trying to calm Dad who was getting redder and redder. I swear the vein that was pumping on his forehead was about to blow up. And Edward is the son of,"

"Carlisle 'I sleep with anything with a skirt' Cullen." Dad finished. "Bella, I don't want to presume, but,"

"Then don't," Mom interrupted, but she patted his hand in order to calm him. "I'm sure you KNOW that those years where you all were gallivanting around the world are gone. You all matured, and settled to become responsible parents."

Dad nodded but wasn't completely sold on the idea. "But Bella, you went from not having male friends to living with two. So excuse me if I'm worried. What if they want to take advantage of your innocence?"

It really took a great effort to reign my temper and think how to word my answer. "Dad, you can't possibly act like that was my fault not having friends. That I was antisocial. There weren't any kids around while I was growing up. I mean, I'm not Miss popularity now, but once I got in college I made friends. Edward is one of the firsts. Jasper just came along with time. I've known them for a long time." And I was thinking how to word that his attitude was what made us kept Edward and Jasper from him.

"But, males? What's wrong with the girls? Aren't you supposed to think boys have cooties? Wait, Angela Webber goes there. Why don't you stay with her?"

I knew he was going to bring Angela at some point. Why would he think Angela was a better person than Edward or Jasper just because she was a female? Maybe I needed to let him know what kind of jerk his dear Angela was.

"Her? Do you have any idea of the pain that girl caused me? She ran me from the local middle school. And you should see her now. She's the female version of the same thing you're blaming Carlisle of doing."

Dad was speechless.

"Surely you're wrong. She's the preacher's daughter."

"That loves to prance around in nothing but band-aids instead of skirts and showing what the good Lord gave her," I said nodding, feeling vindicated for the first time in this whole conversation. "And don't let me start on how she behaves in the presence of men." I was fairly sure that Edward and Jane would support me, given the occasion.

"Remember when I went to yell to Mr. Clapp all those years ago?" Mom added, and this was a surprise. I didn't know she went to the school after my breakdown. "Oh, Bella don't look so surprised. I investigated what happened that day. You don't have your daughter excited to go to school only to come back with torn clothes and crying and don't go and find out what happened. Of course, I went. And despite what your awful teacher claimed, I tore Clapp and her a new one. There were witnesses. Witnesses that the teacher ignored because she was busy arguing with her boyfriend! That Angela was a known bully, but Clapp and his wife are Angela's godparents so they let many things slide. I'm sure after my visit many other parents complained. But you were so scared that we decided it was better to keep you home and leave the school deal with their own problems."

I was flabbergasted. Did mom know? But then, how come she never told me? why? Then I realized that my tutor at the time started to have our 'sharing hour', she was probably giving me some sort of therapy or at least, to make me talk about it.

"Bella, many many things that you lived, weren't the norm. Sure we coddled you and kept you home, isolated from the world, and now I regret it. I think I stole many 'normal' experiences from you. But when I listen to what others do and what happens with kids around your age... I don't know." Dad was calmer now.

"Then you were so intelligent. We didn't believe you would get the appropriate attention at any local school. So we kept you here, without any contact with your peers."

"Mom, I'm not angry that you kept me home. Sure, it wasn't easy to socialize at the beginning, and somehow being surrounded by older people intimidated me. But somehow, I found my way. And you accept it, but Dad needs to understand I'm my own person now. I've been living on my own successfully for a while. What drives me mad is that both of you kept Dad's real identity hidden from me. Why? Don't you trust me?" I'm sure my eyes were about to shed the tears he didn't deserve. But I wanted answers, and I wanted them now.

Both exchanged glances and then Mom began to explain.

"You have to understand that when Charlie left the band, he wasn't in the best place. There was an accident, your father and Teo were,"

"Uncle Teo?"

"Err, yeah. Your uncle Teo was known as Marcus. See, the accident changed a lot for them."

Mom explained many things to me that I never knew. Like why Uncle Teo, ehem, Marcus had a fallout with his family and decided to make it impossible for them to reach him. Or how my grandparents offered their aid, but only if Dad followed their conditions to the letter. I had to admit that I'm disliking my grandparents. They treated Dad as a young kid throwing a tantrum after a bout of rebellion, while in reality, Dad was pretty successful while in the band. Which led me to ask.." Why change names?"

"Your grandparents. They said Charlie embarrassed them enough and when we got married it was decided it was better if he took my name."

"Still, why didn't you tell me?"

"Bella, there were so many things going on at the time. It wasn't only because your grandparent forbid it and I was in debt with them."

"You owed them money?"

"No. And it's a relief that I didn't require their support in that aspect. God knows they would have squirmed every ounce of will I had if that was the case!"

"Bella, when we met we weren't exactly at the Ritz. It was a rehabilitation facility, that not only dealt with our physical injuries but, well, it specialized in drug abuse." Mom let her words sink.

"We weren't addicts, Joe Whitlock made sure of it. But we indulged from time to time. Drugs were there and sometimes the pressure was too much. The night of the accident someone involved the DEA, they found drugs hidden in the bus, and of course, they had to investigate. That night I was clean but imagine your grandfather coming to the hospital to find the DEA asking for testing me for any drug imagined to man! He went crazy!"

"But you were clean." My words sounded more like a question.

"Sure, but that doesn't mean that once they looked they found that I smoked something a few days before. They hated the way I behaved then. All the partying and the girls. They thought I was out of control."

"Oh." Well, I knew they were ashamed of Dad, now I was beginning to understand why, not that I think they were right.

"Exactly, they somehow managed to keep us apart from the rest of the group. They were so scandalized by Marcus' family attitude that they forced us into the facility."

"That's where he met me." Mom added, "I was there recovering too. But Bella, I was an addict. Your grandparents didn't like me either."

"What?"

"Before meeting your father I was in a relationship with an older man. My own parents were wary of him but they knew how stubborn I was. Anyway, you know my parents died that same year and I was alone, so he moved in with me and we found I was pregnant two months later." She dabbed her eyes with a tissue. "What I didn't know was that he was already married, and his wife came up one night and tried to run me from my own house. It was all a scam to take my money. But to their bad luck, the neighbors heard the screaming and yelling and called the police. They ran away but because the stress of that night I lost my baby. I don't want to bore you with all the sad details, just know that I was depressed and tried to take my life by throwing myself from the third floor. After that, I couldn't face daily life so I became addicted to pain relievers. They kept me numb. When your Dad met me I was still a mess."

"But somehow we found each other and made our way out of that dark place, together." They were holding hands now while Mom continued with the story.

This was too much. But if I thought about it... Mom alone and scared, Dad resentful of being forced to stay in the facility. Marcus' family still hounding for money.

The more I heard of the story, the more I understood why Dad was wary of strangers, why he felt it was best to stay hidden.

"And somewhere along, I decided to bury Chuck Eagles." Dad sighed. "It helped that even at the facility I was recognized. That's when I decided to let my hair grow and covered my face with a beard. I became a new man thanks to your mother," he lifted Mom's hand and kissed it. "For both of us, it was a fresh start to a new life. We both were hiding from our pasts, so moving to a peaceful little town seemed like the best idea. Here no one knows us, I was only Charles. Sure, we heard from time to time all the gossip surrounding Carlisle, Peter or Alec, but by then they were like strangers to me."

"And it was so funny to hear people believing those rags and their stupid stories. You don't have an idea of the crazy theories of 'Chuck Eagles' disappearance." Mom said smiling.

And I guess it was funny for them. But what about me?

"Ok. I get that circumstances made you hide. I got it. But why lie to me?"

"Bella, we weren't sure if you could adapt easily to 'normal'. You don't have an idea of how crazy is the world once you're famous." Dad tried to argue.

"Ha! I have more than an idea. How do you think Edward fares every time one more crazy girl realizes who is his father?"

Dad grumbled something that I didn't understand but made Mom elbow him. "Right, well how this Edward deals with those girls? Wait, what's his major? How did you meet him? Last I heard of him, he was a model like his mother. Obviously Carlisle would end up with a model girlfriend."

"Dad! He was three! And it was a very traumatic experience. He shies from attention, that's how we bonded." I shook my head, Dad had it wrong. "Look, whatever image you have from Edward or Carlisle, it's wrong. I met him at college, and before you say something about his age, he's only one year older. One. He also skipped a year and finished high school earlier. We have the same major and share most of our classes. He's my best friend and understands me. He and Carlisle had always been welcoming to me, even to Mom."

Dad looked at my mother like she was betraying him, but she didn't even bat an eyelash.

"I already told you. Yeah, we hid her friends from you. But you have to admit that whenever I brought the chances of Bella having male friends you went crazy." Dad was going to argue but Mom didn't give him a chance. "Even your view of her roommate was skewed. Surely you can understand that girls in college aren't watching Dora the Explorer anymore. Bella is surrounded by young people in their twenties! What were you doing at twenty, hmm, Charlie?"

Dad eyebrows almost disappeared from his face.

"Exactly. You should be thankful that Bella found friends that understand her, and don't pressure her to do anything she doesn't feel prepared for. As for Jasper Whitlock, while he's a bit older, he's a really nice kid that got saddled with Edward and Bella."

"Hey! We are nice to him." Isaid but I knew Mom was just joking.

"And now she's also friends with Peter's daughter and Alec's nephew. See, all stays in the family."

After that, Dad seemed more relaxed. He asked me hundred of questions about Edward and Jasper, but also about Carlisle. He was curious about his old partner and dare I say, nostalgic. We agreed that he needed to meet Edward and Jasper. Especially Edward, as I confessed he was my boyfriend. It took all of my mother's patience to explain how she personally chaperoned our first date, and after I swore I was still a virgin and pretended to keep that status for a while, Dad accepted I was old enough to have my first boyfriend. I guess he was as overwhelmed as I was.

Let's see how we fare when Dad meets Edward and faces Carlisle.


	18. Chapter 17

EPOV

I checked myself in the mirror again and Dad just laughed.

"I'm sure Chuck won't bite." He said before burst out laughing. He found my predicament hilarious. Like he wasn't nervous to see Chuck again.

"Yeah, because you're not the one who wants to give him a good impression."

He laughed again. "Oh, the joys of meeting the parents." He tried to make it sound wistful. "One of the many experiences I didn't have the chance to have."

"Because Mom was an adult when you met her?"

"No, because the mothers were also eager to meet me." He said wriggling his brows.

"You're not helping."

"Oh, at least you have Renee on your side. It seems like she and Elizabeth are now attached at the hip. They're BFFs."

"But Charlie, Chuck or whatever, her father doesn't seem too glad to find out Bella is dating, least of all, me."

"Hmm, is it any consolation, I don't think he would like any other kid dating his girl. Bella led a really protected life. It didn't happen gradually, like with other girls. One day he thought she liked Justin Bieber and then he just woke up the next day and Bam! Bella is an adult with a boyfriend."

"Then somehow I ended up with your fame. Really Dad, a different girl every night?"

Dad had the decency to blush. "Well, he wasn't better. The only one in a relationship was Peter, so Chuck doesn't have room to lay blames. And it wasn't like that. The girls just wanted us and who was I to deny them?" He said chuckling.

"That's not the only thing that bothers Charlie," Jasper added from his post on the couch. His mouth still munching the Cheetos he held in his hands. "He's angry because Bella and Renee didn't tell him. From what Renee told me he still believes he would have accepted your friendship if they told him from the beginning. But we know that wasn't true."

"Shouldn't you be at home?" I asked it was difficult enough to keep my nerves at bay with Dad's teasing then add Jasper's picking on me. He really annoyed me.

"I'm here to help you. Charlie needs to see his girl is in good hands. Otherwise, he may take her back home for the rest of the summer."

That was true. He wasn't happy at all with our living arrangements. He relented after Bella explained she had her own room and when she confirmed to him our virgin status. Mine, he still doubts though.

"You're right Jasper, he sees you in the role Joe played. You're older, more mature," When Dad said 'mature' all of us broke out laughing.

"Still, he needs to see with his own eyes that Bella is safe with us," Jasper said before digging into his Cheetos bag.

xxx

At six o'clock on the dot, Charlie rang our bell. Dad was fast to open it, with his most charming smile.

"Chuck! It's good to see you." He welcomed Charlie, who eagerly shook his hand. Both were good with their poker face. "Bella, come here."

There she was. Beautiful in a purple dress.

"Hi, Carlisle." She hugged Dad and stepped into the house. This was my cue to greet him.

"Ahem, good afternoon Mr. Higgimbotham." Yep. Flawless.

He greeted me with the same fake smile, and when he shook my hand I noticed he was sweating too. Wait a minute. He was nervous too!

"Edward, nice to meet you. Bella talks a lot about you... now." His last word wasn't meant to my ears but I heard it anyway. "You look a lot like Carlisle at your age."

I didn't know if it was a compliment but I thanked him. Now, the difficult part. To greet Bella. If I was too enthusiastic, he may get angry. If I don't, he may think I don't love her. I needed to tread a thin line while he was here.

"Bella." I took both of her hands and kissed them, making her blush. She got closer and pecked me on the lips.

"Edward." She rolled her eyes when Charlie coughed, but the first step of our meeting went fine.

"Take a seat, Chuck, sorry, Bella told me you prefer Charlie now."

"It's easier and after all, it's my given name." Charlie chuckled.

"Do you want water, soda, beer?" I asked when Jasper made his presence known by bringing a tray of assorted drinks and snacks. Of course, he would go with the food.

"Oh you have Dr. Pepper, I think I'll take that one." He took the can and a glass and poured the soda. "You must be Jasper, Joe's grandson, right? Bella also told me about you."

Obviously, his scrutiny of Jasper wasn't as critical as mine. He gave Jasper a genuine smile.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Higgimbotham. Bella and Grandpa talk a lot about you too."

Once we were all seated, and because of the awkward silence, Bella decided to begin to talk.

"Dad asked me how we met. I told him we are together in most of our classes."

"Oh, right. We're both majoring in engineering."

Charlie nodded. "But how come you are living with Jasper? Didn't they ask you to live in the dorms?"

Dad smiled. "Oh, no. Around that time, Jasper was back from spending a few years abroad. He was teaching math to kids in third world countries. But he was brokenhearted and decided to further his education. And, well, you can imagine that with Elizabeth's and my fame, Edward had suffered many scares. So we decided it would be better for them to share an apartment. Honestly, it was a relief to find someone of my complete trust to stay and guide Edward." Dad patted Jasper's back and Jasper beamed.

"It was different for us. Bella, as you know, didn't have any friends living close by. It was her first time living outside our home and we were terribly worried. Her roommate and her family seemed equally anxious when we dropped the girls at the dorm, and we hoped somehow they bonded. But Jane changed a lot." Charlie explained.

"Oh, Dad! It wasn't exactly like that. Jane remains a good friend, just not a close one."

"Jane, goth girl?" Jasper wondered. When we nodded, he smiled. "She's funny. Her mother always sent her pink preppy clothes and she cuts them and changes them to something dark. You had to admire her talent to design clothes."

After Jasper lame attempt to joke, we laughed but the sound of laughter disappeared gradually, leaving us in the awkward silence again.

"And how it was..."

"Did you know..."

Bella and I spoke at the same time. Chuckling, I let her know to go first and she murmured 'Coward'. We were desperate to make this reunion going fine.

"Ok. Let's cut to the chase. Dad, Carlisle, why don't you tell us something from when you were our age? How it was to sing before thousands of screaming fans?"

I nodded. "Were you embarrassed to wear those spandex suits? And don't deny it, we have pictures to prove it."

It was funny. Both, Dad and Charlie gasped and at the same time blushed.

"Well, I can't talk on Carlisle behalf, but I can tell you, I loved to sing, and it was something that came easily to me." Charlie started.

"Oh, yes. It was our way to express ourselves, even when it wasn't our own creation. We managed to imprint a bit of ourselves to each song." Dad added.

These questions relieved the tension and now they were chatting about the old times with Dazzle Proximity.

"And to each dance. Remember the time we rioted against the choreographer? Joe was about to strangle us and dared us to come with one new dance or we were saddled with the one we rejected." Charlie was laughing.

"Really?"

"Oh yeah. You see Joe all nice and smiley now, but he was a force to reckon thirty years ago." Dad also was laughing.

"He wasn't afraid to pull us by the ears and give us a piece of his mind." Charlie's face changed so much.

"How was your first time performing?" Jasper was curious. He used to say that he couldn't imagine how it was the first time given that Alec is so serious and Charlie seemed so formal too.

"Oh, that was so funny. We had been rehearsing for weeks, and Joe and Laurent wanted us to try with a small real audience before our official first public appearance." Charlie was chuckling while recounting the story, "We were used to performing to the members of our team, but Laurent and the record company wanted to try us with real public."

"So they brought as many employees of the company they found around," Dad added.

"Yes, like forty or fifty strangers walked into our improvised stage. Between them, there was this amazonian woman."

"She was really tall and," Dad put his hands in front of his chest to explain she was very well endowed, but Jasper wasn't as shy as him.

"With huge knockers?"

Bella rolled her eyes, "Buxom."

"Yeah, buxom. And let's say her dress was a bit revealing." Dad chuckled.

"She also wasn't wearing... undergarments." Charlie murmured.

Bella smiled at our fathers' discomfort.

"Anyway, we started to sing, the song was catchy and soon the public was clapping and cheering." Charlie continued, "And at some point, the woman stood and jumped to the rhythm of our song."

"That's when we found out she wasn't wearing a bra." Dad was blushing.

"The worst part was that, ahem, our spandex pants weren't, hmm, didn't help... I can't explain this with Bella here. Sorry."

"Ok, Dad. I understand."

"No, you don't. So the woman made you all 'excited'," Jasper, blunt as always, tried to help. "There's nothing wrong. It was natural. How old were you? Seventeen?"

Both parents were blushing and a bit embarrassed now that they realized what they were narrating in front of Bella. But they nodded.

"Joe told us that was our first lesson. Our target audience was young girls and something like that was expected, so from then we used to sing without really seeing the public."

xxx

One hour later, Bella, Jasper and I were eating pizza in the kitchen, leaving Dad and Charlie to their reminiscences alone.

"You know," Bella said between bites of the cheesy delicacy, "I think they're ready to meet the others. Mom said that uncle Teo was on board as soon as she relayed the whole Peter getting sick business."

"Ohh and someone's birthday is just around the corner." Jasper wriggled his brows, he knows I hate to make a big deal of my birthday.

"But you don't like parties." Bella interceded. "Maybe a dinner at our apartment, you know, because is neutral territory?"

I sighed. Why not use my birthday as an excuse? It was only family and old friends after all. "No, I think this house is better. This is a gated community, it's discreet." I took Bella's hand in mine, knowing I had her support whatever I chose. "Let's make my birthday party here. Just keep it small. Rosalie and her family, Emmett and Uncle Alec, your parents, Marcus,"

"He goes by Teo," Bella said.

"Teo, this dork's family." I pointed to Jasper.

"Hey! And I'm sure you mean my grandfather. He will be happy."

"And don't forget Miss Esme. I think your Dad is quite smitten." Bella then turned to Jasper. "Maybe she can bring Alice."

"Ok, if you make Alice come, I promise you the yummiest chocolate cake for you." Jasper knew how much we like chocolate cake.

"You, mister, have a deal." Bella shook hands with Jasper. It seems we have a party to plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!
> 
> My story 'The hairy claw' is nominated at TwiFanfiction Recs for the Top Ten Completed Fics of November. Go and take a look, there are many great stories and I'm honored to be nominated among them.
> 
> Thank you.


	19. Chapter 18

EPOV

Women can be so maddening!

This phrase became my mantra since last night. Why? Well because they are, each one of them.

My birthday party slash unofficial Dazzle Proximity reunion is about to happen in a couple of hours, and while I think we all are anxious, it's nothing compared to the craziness that's going on at Dad's house.

Bella, while still struggling with accepting Charlie as the famous Chuck Eagles and her mother's past mistakes, is utterly happy with the reunion. She thinks that some of Charlie's harshness is caused by those unhealed wounds that came with the abrupt ending of the group. So she threw herself into planning the perfect reunion. She had a long talk with Rosalie regarding her opinion and she found an equally eager partner who brought Esme and Alice into said planning mode. So, there's a group of five enthusiastic women (including Tanya) running around Dad's house like beheaded chickens. They're moving furniture, decorating, hanging streamers and driving poor Dad and me crazy. The moment Esme and Tanya started arguing about Tanya's cooking versus Esme's catering service we decided to leave the house, though I threw the comment that both were good options not mutually exclusive and that we were expecting a group of greedy-guts. As if there were going to be left-overs.

Thank God my mother has another social event to attend! There were too many women ordering around as it was.

"Do you think five pounds of provolone will be enough?" Dad wondered. He still had the little list Tanya handed him when we asked if anyone needed something on our way out.

I shrugged my shoulders. We didn't know what would Tanya cook so I told Dad to go on with the list, plus another pound just in case. I've seen Jasper eat and Emmett never minds an extra serving.

While we waited for the food, a woman in her forties came giggling.

"Excuse me, are you by any chance Carlisle Cullen?"

I turned around to roll my eyes, not giving her the chance to note my rudeness. Dad, well, he's used to the attention.

"Sure I am." He answered with his best fake smile, the one he reserved for these situations.

The woman swooned and gave a little jump. "Would you mind if I take a picture?"

She took out her phone and then looked at me, pleading with her eyes for help. I took her phone and let Dad pose. I took two pictures and returned the phone.

"Oh, you're his son. My goodness, you're so handsome!" I swear she was about to pinch my cheek when suddenly she got an idea. "My daughter is around your age and she's single." She told me, looking around in search of her daughter.

"Oh, hmm. Well, sorry, Ma'am. I have a girlfriend." Just what I needed, another woman trying to set me up!

Then the woman glared. "Well, she's not here." She made it sound like I was making it up. "And you haven't seen my girl. She's so pretty with the bluest eyes and blond hair."

Dad was chuckling behind me. He says that I lack proper 'fan dealing' etiquette and now I'm sure it was showing.

"I'm sure your daughter is quite alluring," again he tried to charm the woman with his smile, "but I hope you'll understand, my son is already in a relationship. I'm sure your daughter has her own suitors who would be crushed if my son changed his mind."

The woman blushed and thanked us, I just waved and moved back to glare to the poor deli server who glared back.

"Edward, relax. I'm sure that woman didn't really mean to disrespect Bella. She didn't even know your name!"

"I know! It's just, how could you deal? I mean, when you and Mom were together."

Dad smiled to the deli server and asked for more prosciutto. "Well, I just smiled and joked. They really don't mean anything when they flirt, and if by any chance one of them tried to get something more, I joked about your mother's temper. So if instead of saying 'I have a girlfriend' you would have said 'I don't think my girlfriend would like it' and winked, then you would have left a better impression."

I think I understood. But... "Still, it was rude from her to assume I would drop my girlfriend to go out with her daughter! Not to mention, it isn't fair to her own daughter."

Dad shrugged his shoulders. "It is what it is. That's how people treat us."

I noticed that by now the deli server wasn't glaring at me.

"Your order, sir." He said to Dad, giving the package with our food. "I just like to say, that I'm your fan and really appreciate the way you let that woman down. But I think your son is right, she was rude."

Damn nosy people! At least he was kind enough to agree with me.

xxx

The food was served and still hot in the tables at the yard, thanks to Tanya, Esme, and Alice with their constant running from the kitchen to the yard. Tables, chairs, everything was set and the only guests that had arrived were Joe and Jasper.

"I told you, that was fast. In my days, one of these pictures and all the bad blood came after two or three days. Now, look. It took no less than an hour to make two-hundred and thirty-eight people think that Edward is a jerk."

Joe greeted me by showing me the tweeter threads. Apparently, someone else videoed the interaction between the woman and us at Target and now I was labeled as an 'egotistical jerk' who rejected a beautiful girl. I didn't even meet the girl!

Bella, who was seated by my side, was tweeting something on my behalf. Making sure to point I mentioned I had a girlfriend and how wrong was the woman throwing her own daughter to someone who was already in a relationship.

"Rosalie will be here in a minute. I'm sure we can change their mind with a few more tweets."

"What for? We shouldn't care what they think. It isn't like Edward wants to be famous or Carlisle is planning to go back to the stage." Jasper added, speaking exactly what I was thinking.

Bella glared at him. "Because I don't like people badmouthing my boyfriend."

Jasper chuckled and gave Bella a bite of his quiche. "Ok. My bad." He said.

The bell rang and I stood to welcome whoever arrived, Bella by my side still grumbling about crazy women going after her man. That's why I love her.

I opened the door to the most awkward scene: Charlie and another man stood, staring at Peter and Alec, who were staring too; a bunch of people, ahem, their families, surrounding them.

Bella stood with me for a few seconds, looking at the scene. Then, gathering strength, she walked to them and said:

"Hi everybody. This is my father Charlie Higginbotham, or as you know him Chuck Eagles, though he prefers Charlie. This is my uncle Teo, Marcus Volturi for you. I don't think I met you but I guess you're Peter and your wife Charlotte, and you must be Alec." Then she went to greet Renee. "Hi, Mom."

Charlie, Marcus, Peter, and Alec remained still, though now their faces showed some sort of recognition of the other's faces.

Rosalie and Emmett walked around them and got inside, with a couple of hot pots on their hands.

"Wait, weren't you already here?" I asked Rosalie, who I swore was hanging from a chair before we left. But Bella mentioned something about it before.

"I had to help Emmett with these."

I guess there was something with the food because the sweet aroma startled the men staring outside and brought them back to their senses.

"Come on, come inside. I can't guarantee Jasper and Emmett will leave food behind if you don't come." I told them, thinking they all seemed hearty eaters. Hell, I was one too, but I had a couple of snacks while we were waiting.

xxx

"Do you remember when he put the spider under his socks?" Alec was smiling, despite being the most serious of the group, he loved to play a prank once in a while. "Sorry Marcus, but you jumped and cried like a little girl when you found it."

The memory was followed by hearty laughter. They really must have caused all of Joe's grey hairs.

"Why wouldn't I? It was almost a tarantula! I swear that thing was bigger than my shoe!" Marcus laughed too.

They seemed to be glad to see each other. Reliving memories of the good times they shared. They were a rowdy bunch, that's for sure.

Charlotte and Renee were happily watching from the outside, but Renee told me she was worried about when they finally reach the day of the accident. It surely would bring old resentments and open wounds.

Bella, on the other hand, was having a field day. "You know, I find it weird to hear all that mischief and then try to pin it to those solemn guys. I mean, look at my Dad."

She was right. Charlie always sported a severe look, at least the few times I met him.

But then I thought about my own father, the quintessential perfect gentleman, ex-teenage heartthrob. They were painting him like a crude prick who loved crass jokes and, nobody would believe this, thought baths were optional as he considered his body odor an aphrodisiac. Oh, not to forget how awesome his hair looked after three days without a shower! Meanwhile, Charlie and Marcus swore they kept their hair in mint condition because of their horsehair oil shampoo. Marcus is almost bald now!

Instinctively, I ran a hand through my hair which made Jasper laugh.

"And now you're going to run for your horsehair oil shampoo, right?"

I threw him a balled napkin. Idiot.

xxx

Suddenly, we noticed there was a lull in the guys' conversation. And because we didn't want this reunion to end on a sad note, we urged Rose to deliver her news.

"Well, now that we are all reunited here, I have something for all of you." She stood in the middle of the tables, with a box in her hands. "As most of you know, Emmett and I are engaged. So we decided on a date, and these," she pulled an envelope from the box, "are the invitations to our wedding. We'd like to have all of you. It'll be a private event, only family, and really close friends."

Marcus opened the envelope and smiled. "Imagine if someone told us thirty years ago that Peter's daughter would end up with Alec's nephew?"

Peter smiled. "Worst, Charlie's daughter with Carlisle's son."

They all burst out laughing and looking at us. Emmett smiled and tipped his beer. "Cheers for Dazzling Proximity!"

Everybody toasted and laughed.

Bella just got closer to me and whispered, "I still haven't given you your gift."

"Oh, really?"

"Aha. Hmm, maybe if we discreetly leave and maybe you show me your old bedroom..." She trailed her little pinky from my elbow to my shoulder.

She was trying so hard to appear confident. And everybody was joking, Charlie was busy talking to Peter.

"Come."

I took her hand to guide her to my old bedroom, I didn't want her to be afraid. Once we were inside, I told her to sit on my bed. Here, alone and away from the prying eyes of teasing roommates or protective parents, we could talk.

"Bella, baby, it's me. You don't have to,"

She pushed me so I was laying on my back and she kissed me with wild abandon.

"Ed-ward," she was kissing me furiously, it was taking so much to keep my wandering hands in control. "I, I want to,"

"Hmm, baby, I want it too." Damn, she pulled her top over her head. Damn! She is gorgeous.

"Bella," she took my hands and put them over her soft lace-clad breasts. "Baby, you know I would love to," I said between pants, denying her was killing me! But I knew she wasn't ready.

And I did what I never thought I would. I stopped Bella's hands before they reached my pants.

"Bella, baby. I think we should stop."

"What?"

"Just, take this slower."

"Don't you want me?" She was about to start crying. I had to do something.

"Of course I want you. Bella," I sighed. "I don't want you to do something you're not ready for."

"But I'm ready."

"I don't want our first time to be rushed, while both our parents are hanging outside with our friends. Bella, you deserve so much more."

"Oh." I could see the pain in her eyes.

"Bella," I lifted her face with my hand. It was time to let her know. "Baby, I love you, and I don't want you to regret any,"

"You love me?" She interrupted my tirade.

"Since the day we met."

"Oh, Edward! I love you too."

This time we kissed again. And even if we didn't move forward, physically speaking, I felt like I scored the winning touchdown. She loves me too! And a few minutes later, I reached second base with my girlfriend. This time meant a lot more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Finally, all the group reunited and it seemed to went well. But soon old bad memories will come back. Let's see how they handle those.
> 
> What do you think? Oh, and what about they finally saying 'I love you'? Or the crazy fan? Let me know what do you think.
> 
> By the way, my story 'The hairy claw' is nominated at TwiFanfiction Recs for the Top Ten Completed Fics of November. Go take a look and vote. There are many other great stories too.
> 
> The hairy claw. Summary: It's late October. It's time for Eddie 'The Vampire' to own the airwaves at midnight like he has done for the last forty-three years with 'The Hairy Claw'. Rosalie is a new hire to the radio show who is set to find the truth about Eddie. What will she find?


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